


Instinct

by LarmB



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Boners, Awkward Conversations, Awkward First Times, Bickering, Bisexual Vinsmoke Sanji, Blow Jobs, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Drug Dealing, Drugs, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, First Time, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Roronoa Zoro, Gay Sex, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oral Sex, Original Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit, POV Third Person Limited, POV Vinsmoke Sanji, Pining, Porn with Feelings, Post-Whole Cake Island, References to Drugs, Requited Unrequited Love, Romance, Roronoa Zoro and Vinsmoke Sanji Bickering, Rough Sex, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, Thriller Bark, Treasure Hunting, Unrequited Crush, Yaoi, five senses, mentions of thriller bark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28494756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarmB/pseuds/LarmB
Summary: Zoro took a good look at him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”Why wouldn’t I be? My whole life has been a fucking lie, that’s all.He wasn’t justnota ladies’ man anymore. And he wasn’t justnotdisgusted by that fucking brute and inelegant seaweed of a man.Sanji had a huge, massive, overwhelming, undeniable crush on Zoro.“Yeah, I’m fine.”***The Straw Hats end up on a small, seemingly empty island, where they take an opportunity to encounter the thing each of them needs the most, in a series of personal challenges. Sanji, like everybody else, goes on his search alone... until a stupid green marimo gets on his way.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 189
Kudos: 397





	1. Expectation

“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY KITCHEN!” Sanji shouted, aiming his leg at Luffy’s head.

“But I’m already hungry!” Luffy whined, trying to dodge the cook’s kicks. Sanji barely understood his words, as his mouth was full of stolen meat.

“I’m making dinner,” Sanji pushed him all the way to the door. “I’ll call you all when it’s ready!” 

Sanji kept trying to force Luffy out of the ship’s kitchen, when they heard a squeaky voice coming from the crow’s nest. 

“ISLAND!” screamed Chopper. “I SEE A LITTLE ISLAND AHEAD!” 

Luffy immediately raced to the deck, bringing more stolen meat along. “ADVENTURE!” he screamed, already stretching his arms to the lion figurehead of the ship. Luffy launched himself to his favorite spot, almost hitting Jinbe on the way, while Chopper was getting down from the foremast.

“An island? Really?” Nami closed the book on her lap, lifting her arm to check on her wrist. “None of the log poses are pointing there.” 

“It’s true! Look!” Chopper handed his binoculars to Nami. _She’s looking so cute today, with her hair tied up in a pony tail!_ Sanji narrowed his eyes and peered at the misty sea, but he barely recognized any portion of land in the distance.

“Whaaat? It’s so small!” Usopp said, taking the binoculars from Nami’s hands to take a look. “I can’t see through all this fog, but it seems empty.” 

“Ooh? So it’s a mysterious island!” Luffy bounced on his place, unable to contain himself.

Sanji observed his crewmates from the upper deck, outside of the kitchen. Down on the lawn deck, Usopp and Chopper started fighting over the binoculars, and Franky and Brook were nowhere to be seen. Robin-chan was just relaxing on a sun lounger, smiling sweetly at the habitual turmoil of the ship.

Zoro was lifting those pathetic enormous weights of his. Shirtless, as always. His skin was almost glistering in the sunset light, droplets of sweat running down his chest with each yank. _How disgusting_. Couldn’t he go training on the crow’s nest’s gym or something?

Nami was climbing the stairs across the ship. “Something tells me Luffy doesn’t care if it’s empty or not. Even if the sun is already going down.” 

“Seeing his excitement, I’d say you’re right,” Jinbe said, holding the ship’s helm.

“Maybe this island is so tiny that its magnetic field is irrelevant to the log poses,” Nami said to herself. “Well, I don’t think it would take too long for him to explore it. Alright! Set course to this little island, Jinbe!” 

“Will do!” Jinbe turned the helm to adjust the path.

“Dinner’s almost done, Nami-swaaan!” Sanji shouted lovingly.

“Thank you, Sanji-kun! I think there’s time to eat before we get off the ship.”

“Of course, Nami-san! I’m making something special for you and Robin-chan today!” Sanji just couldn’t help feeling excited when talking to those two cute girls.

“Would you quit being so noisy, stupid cook?” Zoro said.

“What did you say?” Sanji yelled back. Of course that bastard would try to ruin his evening.

“You don’t need to scream to the other side of the ship that you’re doing the damn dinner.”

“You want to get my foot up your ugly face, you shitty seaweed?”

“HUH?” Zoro was getting up, his hands already on his swords.

“And go do your little lifting elsewhere. Nobody wants to see that shit!”

Before Zoro could respond, Nami shouted on the most adorable voice she could. “Sanji-kun! Please hurry with the dinner!”

_Oh, only a beautiful lady like Nami-san would calm me down now. She is so cute!_

Sanji cut the glare shared between him and Zoro, and went back to the kitchen, and not long after that, dinner was ready.

The meal went especially loud, quickly turned into a feast. Brook barely wiped the crumbs from his bony face and already grabbed his guitar, singing something about a new adventure. 

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were already dancing on top of the table, messing with the empty dishes and nearly dropping them to the floor, but Sanji couldn’t help but smile. _I really hope that tiny empty island doesn’t disappoint these poor things._

The warm colors of the sky gave way to murkiness, and soon the ship reached the small island, welcomed by another round of joyful shouting.

The piece of land was oddly tall for its length. The ship kept the course around the island, looking for a place to lower the anchor on. The thick mist wasn’t helping at all, but Nami and Jinbe found a channel leading to its interior, where the shore seemed low enough.

Usopp was holding Luffy back so that he didn’t go flying away before everybody, but when Franky set the anchor, he was able to untangle himself. In a blink of an eye, Luffy disappeared into the haze.

But he wasn’t followed by Usopp or Chopper. Instead, they cowered on each other, as they gawked at their surroundings.

“W-what’s up with all this fog?” Usopp said, already shivering. 

“Oh… I already have gooseflesh,” Brook said, “but I don’t even have flesh! Yohoho!”

The air was a little cooler than just moments before. The atmosphere was eerily quiet, and the wind was as steady as the branches of the sparse trees.

_Something is off with this island._

“See, Luffy? There’s nothing he–” Nami was interrupted by a loud noise coming from behind the ship. A huge metal grid rose from the water, at the beginning of the channel they got through. The metal grid continued rising along the edge of the island, until the Straw Hats were completely fenced.

“What the hell?” Zoro took two of his swords out of their scabbards, his unwounded eye watchful for any movement. From the sand, Luffy frowned his eyebrows and clenched his fists, looking around.

“WE’RE LOCKED!” Chopper screamed and hugged Usopp, who squeezed him in equal dread. Sanji instinctively took a step to the side, putting himself in front of Nami. 

For a few seconds, the crew stood quiet, trying to make sense of any sound. 

“There’s no need for all this fuss.” A woman’s voice came from the trees. 

Luffy tried to look for the source of the sound, grabbing his arm, ready to fight. Sanji and Zoro jumped off of the ship at the exact same time, running to where Luffy was standing. 

The woman walked out from the shadows, and the crew could perfectly see her under the moonlight, as the mist was wearing off. As she moved with her bare feet, her silver silk dress seemed to be floating around her legs, slightly touching the sand. Her long platinum hair waved in synchrony, gleaming just like the moon above them, making her skin look a lot paler than it must be. 

She stopped in front of the three boys, her full lips pursed in a smirk. “Welcome,” she said. The woman raised her hands, hidden in her long sleeves, and bent them over. “This is The Dream Island.”

“Dream? What kind of dream is this supposed to be?” Nami shouted from the dimly lit ship, while trying to hide behind Robin.

“Oh, of course, my beautiful lady! My only dream is you!” Sanji had never seen a woman this gorgeous before. He took a step to approach her, but was stopped by a sword put in front of him.

“Are you really that dumb?” Zoro stormed. “Keep it in your pants, will you?”

“What did you just call me?” Sanji tugged on Zoro’s collar, forcing the swordsman to look at him.

“I called you a dumb moron!” Zoro also grabbed Sanji’s collar, while still holding his swords. “We know nothing about this damn witch, so stop swooning over every woman you see!”

Sanji tried to kick Zoro, but he managed to block it with his swords. “Watch your mouth when you talk to a lady, damn marimo!”

The woman’s smirk widened even more. “You two are really interesting, aren’t you? Well, as I said, there’s nothing to worry about. You will be getting out of here soon. My name is Maya, and this island is mine. I’m here to offer you a chance of a lifetime.” The Straw Hats stood silent, paying close attention. “The treasure each one of you wants the most.”

“Treasure?” Nami got out from behind Robin and leaned out of the ship. 

“I’m sorry, the treasure you _need_ the most. All ten of you.”

“Ten?” Robin said. “How do you—”

Sanji peered at the ship, but even he couldn’t distinguish all of his crewmates from where they stood.

“Behind me are ten doors.” Maya moved away from a wall Sanji hadn’t noticed was there. Ten very different doors were aligned on a peeling off white wall. Each door had its unique shape, material and doorknob. “All you need is to choose a door and start your quest… alone.”

“You want us to split up?” Usopp said, refusing to get out of the ship like the rest of the crew was. “Then we magically find treasures? And you won’t take anything from us?"

“I’m offering you a chance to find the thing you are most needing in the moment.” She responded. “All I ask of you is a mere physical treasure in return. Believe me, what you’ll find cannot be measured by money.”

“And you still expect us to pay you!” Nami exclaimed, now insulted. “What if we don’t?”

“Well, I’m sure you can find a way to get your ship out of these fences alone,” she grinned, “but I can only lead you to your deepest wishes if you leave something for me.”

“What about I leave you open in half?” Zoro took his third sword and grasped the hilt between his teeth. He leaned towards Maya to attack her, but instead had to block another one of Sanji’s kicks. Maya didn’t flinch.

“DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING DIE?” Sanji stormed. 

“Your swords can’t hurt me, Roronoa Zoro.” Maya said calmly.

The whole crew gazed at her at the sound of Zoro’s name. Even Sanji lowered his leg to stare at the lady.

“You won’t defeat me. But I can’t defeat all of you either. I can’t force you to do anything. I’m simply offering a trade, and then you can peacefully go back to following your log pose.” Maya seemed to be looking directly at Nami. 

“That’s ok Zoro,” Luffy smiled. “I think this will be a good adventure!”

“Luffy, please, you’re not seriously thinking about splitting everyone up, are you?” Nami said desperately.

Luffy gazed deeply into Maya’s eyes for a few moments, then he beamed broadly. “That’s okay, guys. I don’t think she’s evil!” 

Maya slightly raised her eyebrows, smiling sincerely. “Thank you, Pirate King. Shall we?”

“If the captain says so, let’s go!” Franky said, standing in front of a round metal door.

“This should be fun,” Robin said, choosing an old-looking ornamented door, with a rusty golden doorknob.

“Please Luffy, think this through!” Usopp whined, finally off the ship, and followed Luffy to his door of choice, plain red and with a simple lever handle.

“All right! Let’s go, everybody!” Luffy said, ignoring Usopp.

Zoro glared at Sanji, and he stared back with equal fierce. “Tch,” Zoro turned back and chose the last door on the right, made of a dark walnut wood, crossed by a huge slash. Sanji turned left, and chose a heavy mahogany door, next to where Nami and Maya were finishing their negotiations.

“Ok, if there’s no way to change Luffy’s mind, let’s get through with this,” Nami said, handing Maya the money, and turning to her golden and highly adorned door. “I hope it’s worth it.”

All the Straw Hats were positioned in front of a door, Usopp at last standing near a slatted vine-covered one. 

“You’ll need to search for this treasure all by yourselves,” Maya said. “You will be finding some things to help guide you. You’ll know what they are when you see them.” The crew glanced at each other, expectation building up. “Well, good luck to all of you.”

The ten of them opened their doors together. A bright light flooded Sanji’s eyes, and he could clearly see a sunlit grove in front of him. Glancing at his right, he noticed some of the other doors’ interiors weren’t as bright as his, and he could swear he had smelled cotton candy when Chopper opened his peachy small one.

Sighing, Sanji entered the forest and closed the door.


	2. Smell

Sanji adjusted his backpack, his small change of clothes and bottle of water starting to weigh down on his shoulders. He wiped the sweat on his forehead, carrying his suit on his arms.

He lost track of the time passed since he went through that door, which immediately disappeared the moment he closed it. The fascinating colors of the fruits around him had twinkled his eyes at the beginning, the outstanding rare flora of a spring island on eternal spring, but even those trees were now starting to look the same.

His earthy trail finally reached an end, but only to branch into two new paths. At his right, the forest was pretty much the same, but the full grass and bushy leaves had an even brighter tone of green. At his left, flat rocks laid scattered across the sward, and the path ahead was entirely made of stones. 

At the exact spot of the bifurcation, a small tree caught his eye. Or better yet, his nose. He took one of the fruits in his hand. _Oh, the famous myrodia fruit!_ It was indeed tempting as they say; The bright hot pink color and the soft velvety peel were alluring enough on their own, _but the smell…_

He was getting a mixture of sensations. He closed his eyes, taking in his favorite aromas in the world, as the myrodia fruits promised to exhale. Fresh baked bread… the flowery scent of Robin’s hair… burning wood… and… something ferrous? He couldn’t recognize this smell, but he liked it. Lucky for him, he knew the fruit wouldn’t be as pleasant to the palate; it would probably kill an unwarned passerby. 

Sanji opened his eyes and looked at his hand, but instead of the fruit, all he found was a thick piece of paper with a message, written in flourished cursive letters:

_ Your journey is a long one, though your path is clear. _

_ Seek a familiar scent, and you won’t need to fear. _

_ Near the colors of grass is where you ought to be. _

_ If you follow your senses, you’ll cut yourself free. _

Sanji studied the paper, mindful of every word.  _ Finally, my first instruction. _

_ Near the colors of grass…  _ Sanji echoed the phrase, taking his eyes out of the message to observe the possible paths he could go through.

_ Ok, so… that must mean I should continue along the forest, right? _ Sanji put the paper inside his pants’ pocket, and then proceeded walking through the right path.

His hike went a lot shorter this time, as he promptly pictured a clearing from afar, with a white round gazebo elegantly placed at its center. The sun was high up that utterly blue sky, the rays of light touching every leaf on the ground, while the gazebo’s roof cast a pleasant shadow inside.

As he approached the structure, a heavenly smell once again filled his nostrils, but none of the myrodia fruits were around. Garlic fried on butter, caramelized onions, roasted chicken just on point of gilding. _Delicious._

The food was on top of a round metal table inside the gazebo, the white adornments matching with the two chairs.  A set of empty dishes, cutlery and napkins were carefully placed in front of each seat, and two glasses of refined wine were poured, but remained untouched. _This place is so romantic!_ If only Robin-chan or Nami-san were there to enjoy this view and meal with him. 

The delightful scent was coming from roasted potatoes, fresh from the oven, and… _Wait. This is not chicken._ The meat was slightly grayish, and although it smelled fresh and well cooked, this was not a good sign. _Especially if the –_

A loud roar interrupted Sanji’s thoughts. The earth quaked beneath his feet, knives and forks tinkled as the table quivered on its place.

A second and louder bellow was accompanied by cracking and thumping sounds, and before Sanji could react, the trees on the edge of the clearing collapsed, followed by a huge quadruped beast. 

The animal looked a lot like an armored rhino, but at least twice as big. The shape of its skin was made of several flat glassy surfaces, as if the creature was a giant metallic crystal. Instead of a rhino’s horn, it had an enormous pointy blade, resembling a sword. _Only an island like this could have this kind of creature, but…_

The animal spotted Sanji, now outside of the gazebo, and raced to assault him.

_ Oh fuck. _

Sanji used his _sky walk_ to dodge the attack, kicking himself to the air. The creature roared in confusion, unable to see the floating prey above its head. Its polished skin blinded Sanji for a moment, but not enough to keep him from scrutinizing every bit of it, in search of a weak point amidst the sharp lumps on the animal’s exterior.

He had to be quick.

Still on the air, he kicked himself towards the forest. The beast followed him into the woods, but soon were baffled by his now vanished prey.

Sanji was now back on the gazebo, positive that he didn’t have much time before the creature found him again. He took a knife from the table and rushed to the edge of the clearing, climbing a tree.

He waited for the beast’s return, ready to hop on his back and reach that small exposed point behind his horn, perfect to be pierced. He wasn’t a big fan of using knives outside the kitchen, but all this meat would be of good use at the dining table later.

The creature’s stomps got louder. The tumbling trunks were cracking increasingly closer. 

_ Anytime now.  _

A deafening agony howl interrupted the oncoming sounds. A loud muffled thump, and then… 

Nothing. 

Complete silence.

… _What?_

Sanji got down from the tree and glided through the woods.

The animal was laying sideways, a huge slash crossing its stomach. Dark brownish blood was dripping down from the open wound. _What the fuck happened?_

His answer got right out from behind the trees, holding a bloody katana. 

_ That damn green man. _

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Sanji shouted.

“Huh? What are _you_ doing here? Are you lost or something?” Zoro responded.

Sanji snickered. “Oh, that’s so rich, coming from you! How the fuck did you get to my door?” 

“I was just following some paper’s instructions.” Zoro showed a message to Sanji, similar to his own, but with plain capital letters.

_ YOU KNOW YOUR DESIRES, AND YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. _

_ BUT REACHING YOUR WANT DOESN’T DEPEND JUST ON YOU. _

_ SEEK A FAMILIAR SCENT, THE ONE THAT MOST APPEAL. _

_ BUT HIDING YOUR TRUE SELF CAN CUT DEEPER THAN STEEL. _

“I followed the smell of food,” Zoro continued, taking the paper back, “but then this thing showed up. It’s called spathiceros.” Zoro went closer to the animal’s head.

“I know what it’s called. I’m surprised you do too. I think this is a spring island on eternal spring. Pretty rare, with rarer fauna and flora. I saw some myrodia fruits a while ago.” 

Zoro was not listening. He crouched on his feet, looking closely at the sword-looking horn.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Sanji yelled. “And I still don’t know what the fuck you’re doing here!”

“I’m saving your ass, apparently.” Zoro responded, still focused on the horn.

“ _What?_ I was doing perfectly fine without you! And I wouldn’t have made all this mess, for sure.” Sanji pointed to the knife in his own hands.

“Oh okay, so you meant to kill this legendary beast with that little toy?” Zoro glanced at Sanji’s knife, and turned back to the spathiceros.

Sanji growled and rolled his eyes. “It has a weak point, d’ you know that? Behind the –”

Zoro took one of his swords out, and struck the back of the beast’s horn. In a single movement, he ripped out the horn entirely. 

He perfectly knew about the weak point. _ Cocky bastard. _

Zoro leisurely stood up and walked towards the clearing, taking the horn with him.

“And what the hell are you doing now?” Sanji asked, following him.

“Will you stop making these stupid questions?” 

Zoro didn’t stop walking until just before he reached the gazebo. Sanji lit a cigarette, smoking as he watched his crewmate’s movements. The swordsman kneeled down and began digging a shallow hole, taking the horn between his hands and holding it upright on the cavity. He closed his eyes, retaining this position for a few moments, almost like in a prayer. 

_ Some ritualistic swordsman bullshit. Better leave him be.  _

Sanji inhaled a bit more on his cigarette and wandered around, waiting. He could still see the body of the poor spathiceros from beyond the trees.

“Hey, why don’t you go cut some wood for us?” Sanji said. “I’ve never cooked spathiceros meat before. They’re pretty rare since, you know, they’re hard to find, and especially to kill.”

“I don’t know about that last part,” Zoro mocked. Sanji turned back and found him already inside the gazebo, leaned over the table. The hole on the ground was closed, and the horn nowhere to be seen. “Why would you bother with cooking?” Zoro stuck the meat with a fork and brought a piece to his mouth. “There is plenty of food here, and —” 

The fork was hurled from Zoro’s hand when Sanji kicked it away.

“WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT?” Zoro yelled.

“Don’t go swallowing up food you don’t know, marimo!”

“What’s wrong with this food? It smells just like yours!”

“See this grayish color? This is spathiceros meat, but from its baby!”

“What’s the difference?”

“The baby spathiceros is much easier to kill, but its meat is toxic for humans. It can even be lethal!” 

“Oh,” Zoro lingered for a moment, his good eye glazing over at the meat. “So that’s why that big guy was so pissed. Maybe someone killed its baby.”

_ He is right.  _ Sanji felt a little bad for how things turned up for that poor animal.

“Yeah, maybe. But I won’t miss the opportunity to try its meat. Better make all the mess you made be worth it.” Sanji smoked one last time, stepping on the cigarette butt. “Now go get the wood for us.”

Sanji proceeded to taking out the baby meat, before it could cause any damage. It hurt his guts to waste anything, but poisonous food was not food. When Zoro was already reaching the trees, Sanji noticed something else on the table. Where once was the meat Sanji threw away, now was a thick piece of paper. 

Another flourished message.

Sanji folded the paper, keeping it with the other one for the time being.

***

The fire was still crackling, casting a soft orange glow on the gazebo, the only major source of light at this hour. The welcome scent of the burning wood pleasantly filled Sanji’s nose, giving him a strange sense of comfort. The moon was waxing crescent, and the clear sky was showing more stars than he could ever count. 

The meat took the rest of the afternoon to be prepared, but it was worth it. The delicate texture and refined taste blended perfectly with the wine and the reheated potatoes. That dim light from the fire was even better than candle lights. This place would be absolutely perfect for a date.

But instead, he was stuck with that _ogre_. Zoro was voraciously shoving down the food, barely closing his mouth. 

“Do you even know how to chew?” Sanji asked, disgusted.

Zoro glared at Sanji, defiantly keeping his behavior. As he emptied his plate, the man broke the eye contact just to take his glass of wine, and then quaffed all the liquid at once, as Sanji observed quietly. Zoro rested the empty glass on the table, and gazed at him while he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sanji snorted and looked away, lighting another cigarette.

Zoro took a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I found another one of these messages when I was burying that horn.” Zoro handed the paper to Sanji. “I didn’t get what it means, tho.”

_ THE OLD DORMANT FEELING THAT YOU GREATLY CLING TO _

_ WILL NEED TO BE CARED FOR, BUT YOU BE CAREFUL, TOO. _

_ NEAR THE WARM AND GOLDEN IS WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE. _

_ IF YOU FOLLOW A KNOWN SOUND, YOU’LL CUT YOURSELF FREE. _

“Hmm… warm and golden…” Sanji reflected out loud, “I can only think about the sun.” He handed the message back to Zoro.

“Ok. So what should I do next?” 

“Maybe it’s got something to do with the sunlight itself. It becomes golden at dusk and dawn. Try going to some place high enough, so that you see the first or the last rays of light. It’s a start.”

“So I need to go to the highest place around, huh?” Zoro kept the paper and wondered a little. “I saw a river on my way here, and before that, I heard something like a waterfall.” Zoro got up and left the table. “I’m gonna follow the stream up to that waterfall. It’s gotta be the highest point I can get, right? It tells me to follow a known sound too. My next message should be there.”

_ Actually… yeah, that is quite clever.  _

“But where are you going now? Dusk was like an hour ago.”

“Relax, I’ll be going just before dawn. I’m tired from saving your fancy ass, so I’m going to sleep.” Zoro was already laying down next to the fire, using his backpack as a pillow.

Sanji left the gazebo, following him. “Oh, great, so that leaves me with the first watch, huh?”

“Watch? If you wanna sleep, just sleep.” Zoro lied on his back, hooding his head with his hands and closing his eyes. “The fire is lit, you don’t need to be so afraid. If anything happens, I’ll save you again.”

“You did not fucking save me, stupid moss head!” Sanji exclaimed, but Zoro was either pretending or already sleeping. 

Sanji inhaled deeply on his cigarette as he scowled at the unaware Zoro. “It had to be this walking seaweed, hadn’t it?” Sanji grumbled to himself, as he lied down on the opposite side of the fire, laying his head on his own backpack. “I could have had a perfect romantic dinner with Nami-san, but no, the lost marimo had to get lost inside _my_ door.”

Zoro didn’t make a sound. Sanji let out a deep breath. 

He was way too fidgety to rest. Too many things had happened in one day. There could be more spathiceros aside from that one. They knew nothing about this forest, or this world, or – he hated to admit – that silver woman. _Where is she, by the way?_ Luffy also trusted her but… Was everyone even okay? Will it take long for them to reach the treasure? He didn’t even know what his ‘most needed treasure’ was. How many more of these messages he’ll need to find?

With that last thought, Sanji realized he didn’t even know what to do next. He had helped Zoro with his message, but he didn’t even look again at his own. He was tempted to do that now, but eventually his fatigue started to show, and soon he gave into falling asleep.


	3. Hearing

Sanji opened his eyes, slightly bothered by the faint brightness of the sky. It was still somewhat dark, but the sun would come up at any time. The burnt firewood was still emanating a little heat. He lifted himself up, looking around. Zoro was already gone.

He took the messages from his pocket, and read the newer one at last.

_ What you’re searching for can be easy to see through,  _

_ But you can see a bit of yourself on it too. _

_ Often dangerous, but serene and collected. _

_ You’ll be safe with a sound you haven’t expected. _

__

_ Serene and collected… Often dangerous… _

Sanji was running through every word cautiously. 

_ Easy to see through… Glass, maybe? I can see a bit of myself on glass too… and it could be dangerous, but… serene and collected?  _

_ Something that can be both calm and dangerous… _

Then he got it. 

_ Water!  _

_ Yes! Water can reflect and be transparent at the same time! It can be harmless but it definitely can be dangerous…  _

_ So I just need to find a stream of water, right? Then I’ll find the source of water if I go up the riv– _

Sanji interrupted himself when he realized. He was going to the exact same place as Zoro. _How ironic. That is, if he didn’t get lost on the way, of course._

Sanji decided to go there first and eat later. Zoro probably hadn’t eaten anything too. _If only he had waited for me, that moron._ He walked towards the direction Zoro came from yesterday, hoping he could find any trace of a river.

He walked for some time through the forest, attentive to every sound. Birds warbled along with his steps, the leaves rustling under his feet as the wind whistled through the trees. He lit a cigarette and closed his eyes, while the wind caressed his skin.

Soon, he reached the river and followed it up the stream, watching closely along the way for anything abnormal in the water.

He climbed the small hill all the way to the top, finally finding the headspring of the stream, but nothing could have prepared him for the view that was waiting there.

The early warm rays of the sun touched every droplet coming from the rocks above, as if the waterfall was spilling liquid gold. An equally glinting lake extended below the fall, before it channeled into the river. The vivid green on the ground and trees gave way to a bright yellow color instead.

_ I was right!  _ He couldn’t think of a better place to be amongst the first rays of sun, but… _why isn’t Zoro here yet?_

Suddenly, something resembling a song started playing on the back of his head. He looked around, trying to find its source, but somehow, he knew it wouldn’t work.

_ The lake. _

The lake called him, not by his name, nor by any external sound, but he just knew. He needed to be there.

The song got a bit louder as he walked, but it echoed just inside his mind, he was sure. Now he could perfectly distinguish a faint woman’s voice, delicately singing just for him.

He dropped his backpack to the ground when he saw her. Combing her wavy blue hair, a mermaid was sitting on top of a rock inside the lake, right in front of the waterfall. 

_ Holy shit. That’s it. There’s my treasure!  _

Her lips curved into a timid but inviting smile, and she continued singing her song.

_ I knew it!  _ The song was his, just for him, and she wanted him to hear it! Sanji stepped into the lake, barely noticing he was still on his shoes. 

Every note of her music was gracefully pleasing, delicate and gentle like herself. Her face was slightly blushing at Sanji’s gaze, but her eyes were clearly calling for him. 

Sanji was getting closer and closer, her song filling him up entirely. Those magnetic sapphire eyes were locked with his own. 

She was all that existed in the world.

And she wanted him too. 

The mermaid stopped combing her hair when Sanji got close enough, and lightly touched his cheek. Her hands were wet and cold, but cold was not how Sanji was feeling at all. Her song now seemed a quiet serenade, and his whole body warmed up from the inside.

She took his face on her soft hands, gently moving it towards her smile. Her mouth kept whispering the sweet melody, while coming closer to his own. 

The gap between their lips was closed. 

Sanji could swear he was now one with the lake, as he melted down into her kiss.

He didn’t care about the cold. His dream had come true. He opened his eyes just enough to make sure he wasn’t literally dreaming, but all he could see was blue. He touched her silky azure hair and closed his eyes once again, allowing himself to pull her deeper.

He was having a hard time breathing, but it was worth it. She kissed him back just as intensely, cold hands all over his body, and he gently explored her body in equal interest. This was fucking perfect.

But in an abrupt movement, something yanked him from his back, disengaging him from her embrace. Stunned, Sanji felt himself being carried harshly, then put on the ground. 

He finally remembered how to breathe. He spewed the loads of water he didn’t know he had swallowed, coughing repeatedly. As his blurred vision was turning back to normal, he tried to make sense of the scene around him.

Zoro was standing between him and the lake, both men soaked up and panting heavily. He had a sword in hand, his expression of absolute distress.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?” Zoro yelled, pointing his sword towards the lake.

Sanji stood up and raced to the margin. The beautiful mermaid was now cut in half, navy-blue blood spreading across the water.

His mouth fell open. “What the hell did you do, marimo?” 

“What did _I do_? I fucking saved you again, that’s what I did! You were down there with that fish for minutes! You almost drowned!”

Sanji stared at the remains of the mermaid, baffled.

He had met mermaids before. None of them had blue blood.

_ Shit. _

“You’ve been here the whole time?” Sanji looked away, desperately searching for cigarettes in his soaked suit.

“I… Why does it matter?” Zoro gritted his teeth.

Sanji found his soggy and useless cigarettes.

“Then… then why didn’t you stop me from going inside the water before? Now my cigarettes are ruined, dammit…”

Zoro’s jaw went slack. “What did you say?” He asked, imposing himself into Sanji. “If you weren’t so goddamn stupid, I wouldn’t have to fucking save you all the time!”

Sanji grabbed Zoro’s collar. “What’s that, shitty marimo?” 

“Tch,” Zoro snorted, abruptly shoving off Sanji’s grip and turning away. “Next time, you save yourself.”

Sanji watched as Zoro walked away. 

He tried to light a cigarette a couple of times, in vain. He shoved the wet box back to his pocket, and stripped off his soggy clothes.

He took a deep breath and sat on a rock near the lake, taking his forehead on his palms.

_ Shit. _ He has been too harsh on Zoro this time. He really _had_ saved him.

All that was left of the ‘mermaid’ was the supposed blue blood, now looking more like a very odd floating seaweed.

But glancing again, Sanji noticed something else on the water. He took a floating piece of paper on his hands, and it immediately dried out. 

He unfolded the paper and read his brand-new flourished message.

_ Fight for what you want, even if it’s out of touch. _

_ The similarities are the things you should clutch. _

_ But also learn when to back down from a battle, _

_ Next to what’s rock-solid is where you should settle. _

This time, he had no clue where to start. But he was not in the mood for solving it now, anyway.

What was the rest of the crew doing now? Nami and Robin must be in danger, needing him… If he found Zoro, he could find them too, right? _Nah…_ Probably it was just a miracle, since that marimo couldn’t walk a straight line without getting lost. The beautiful silver lady said the quest would be very personal, and that they wouldn’t find each other. 

Come to think of it, Zoro being here didn’t make any sense. Zoro’s door was way too far from his own, and the doors were clearly leading to different places. What kind of devil fruit does that lady have?

Anyway, he’d better go apologize to Zoro, since they’re apparently stuck together ‘till they find their treasures. It could be nice having a nakama around after all. It didn’t have to be the most annoying one, but… He didn’t even want to think what would’ve happened if Zoro wasn’t there.

Sanji put on some dry clothes from his backpack, grabbed everything and went looking for Zoro. Surprisingly enough, he quickly found him in another clearing near the river, doing some sit-ups, as always.

On his underwear.

Sanji’s heart skipped a beat. Zoro locked eyes with him, and any mean comment he had on the scene just got stuck in his throat.

Sanji looked away, hanging his clothes on a branch, next to Zoro’s. With his head down, he slowly approached a spot on the ground, a few feet away from his crewmate.

The light breeze was playing with his golden fringe, almost uncovering his right eye. Zoro’s frown was locked in a spot far away from there.

“I’m sorry,” Sanji finally said, his eyes on the grass. Zoro stopped and looked at him. “I was an asshole, I know.” Sanji forced himself to glance at Zoro. “Thank you, I guess.”

Zoro gazed at him, lifting one eyebrow. Then he turned to continue his workout. “If you could just stop drooling over every damn girl you see, it wouldn’t have happened.” 

It was hard keeping his feet away from that bastard’s face.

“You know I’ve been bewitched, right?” Sanji asked. But then, his forehead creased. “Wait. Why didn’t her spell work on you? You didn’t hear the song?”

Zoro kept quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

_ Bullshit. _

“How can you be so chill? Aren’t you looking forward to finding your treasure or the exit?”

“I’m not that interested. The only thing I dream about is being the best swordsman in the world, and you can’t simply find that. You _earn_ it. So that’s why I’ll keep on training, if you don’t mind.”

Sanji let that sink in for a moment. “But… the lady said we’re gonna find what we most _need_. It’s not like I’m going to find the All Blue here or anything...”

But what _does_ he need, then? How can he need something without knowing it?

“Maybe it will end up just being something she thinks we like.” Zoro shrugged.

“But… if we really think about it, everything we’ve been through has something to do with the things we like, hasn’t it?”

Zoro narrowed his eye, but Sanji’s just widened.

“Wait! That’s it! I’ve came across some food and a woman, and you… you even buried that swordy thing from the spathiceros! How does she know all this?”

“Now you’re reaching.”

“I don’t know, I’m just trying to see a pattern or something. But it _really_ seems like the notes are bringing us to the things we like the most.”

“Wow. You really love women, don’t you?” Zoro sneered, but his smile vanished right away.

_ Where did that come from? _

“Huh? Of course I do. Don’t you?”

Now that he thought of it, he had never seen Zoro showing any hint of attraction to _anyone._

Zoro sat up straight, and began sharpening one of his blades. “I don’t need to act all stupid like you do, that’s all.”

“Oh, come on, there’s got to be someone you find attractive. I’ve seen you with my dear Tashigi-chan.”

“Who? Oh, that Marine girl? She just reminds me of someone… from my childhood.” His eye was locked on the sword.

Was Zoro getting uncomfortable?

“Oh.” Sanji had no clue where to go with this conversation. “How about that ghost girl from Thriller Bark? You spent the last two years with her, didn’t you?”

“Still won’t drop these stupid questions, huh?” 

The wind was blowing a little harder, making the flowers next to Sanji appear to be dancing. The grass beneath his feet felt soft, but a little moist.

“I just… don’t have time for these things,” Zoro continued. “Besides, I don’t fall in love as easily as you do.”

Sanji desperately needed a cigarette. He took one of the flowers in his hand, barely noticing his action.

“I don’t, actually,” Sanji responded. “Fall in love easily,” Sanji added, seeing the confusion in Zoro’s face. “Love is… I don’t know, something else, I think.”

“But you’re in love with Nami, aren’t you?” Zoro furrowed his brows. “Or Robin?”

Sanji smiled at the flower in his hand, taking in the sweet perfume. “I do love them. I love all women. But is not _that_ kind of love. Of course, I’m especially fond of them ‘cause they’re nakama. I would die for them, but… I would die for all my nakama,” – Sanji took a deep breath and stared at Zoro – “as you know.”

Zoro sustained his look for some time, and Sanji knew he was also thinking about a certain scene that took place on Thriller Bark. 

“You didn’t need to do that.” Zoro finally said, back to sharpening his blades. “I had it all under control.”

Sanji played with the flower between his fingers. _No, you didn’t._

He was _craving_ a cigarette. It was awkward enough talking with that marimo for so long without a single curse. _And he is on his underwear, goddammit._

“On the day we met,” Sanji heard himself saying, “I saw you fighting with Mihawk and… well, at first, I didn’t get why you wouldn’t simply give up on your dreams, so that you could be alive.” Sanji was staring at the flower, but he could feel Zoro’s eye on him. “But then I understood. Your dream makes you who you are, as does Luffy’s. I mean, I’ve got my own dreams but… I’m a cook. My pleasure lies on making people happy with my food, every day. And I would’ve gladly died that day… if it meant you and Luffy could follow your dreams.”

Sanji was ripping off the flower’s petals, not knowing exactly why he was telling Zoro all those things, but he could sense the man was attentive, waiting for him to finish. 

“And the Pirate King needs the best swordsman in the world by his side, doesn’t he?” Sanji smiled. “Besides, you guys could’ve found another cook. Well, not as good as me but –”

“What are you talking about?” Zoro interrupted, outraged. “Another cook? You’re not just some random cook, you’re –”

Zoro clenched his jaw. Sanji took a while to realize he was gaping at Zoro, and closed his mouth at once, but their eyes never averted from each other.

“Well,” Sanji broke the eye contact, and threw away the remains of the poor flower as he spoke, “I’ve only made a fool of myself in the end. But I’m glad no one has died after all.”

They kept quiet for some time, as Sanji was now ripping off some grass leaves. Zoro just stared at his swords, but had stopped sharpening them. 

_ So that’s how a civilized conversation with Zoro is? _

“So,” Sanji broke the silence, trying to smile, “you just admitted I’m the best cook in the world, huh.”

“Hah. In your dreams, shitty bastard,” he curved his mouth into a lopsided grin.

Sanji couldn’t help but chuckle a little. 

_ That’s better. _


	4. Wonder

The sun was now scorching out of the trees’ shadows. Sanji went looking for some fruits in the forest, and the boys satiated their hunger. Zoro had finally put on some dry clothes for a change, and they sat together on the clearing near the calming stream of the river.

“So, do you agree with me about those riddles?” Sanji asked. “Do your notes say something about the things you like?”

“Don’t know. Feel free to take a look, I got a new one on that waterfall.” Zoro handed him his new message, as well as the other ones.

_ FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU WANT, EVEN IF IT’S OUT OF TOUCH. _

_ THE SIMILARITIES ARE THE THINGS YOU SHOULD CLUTCH. _

_ BUT ALSO LEARN WHEN TO BACK DOWN FROM A BATTLE, _

_ NEXT TO WHAT’S ROCK-SOLID IS WHERE YOU SHOULD SETTLE. _

Sanji’s jaw dropped. “It looks exactly like mine! Look!”

Zoro compared the two notes, intrigued. “Maybe we need to go to the same place.”

_ Again? That’s not new. _

Sanji read through Zoro’s older messages attentively. “ _…can cut deeper than steel…_ See? I think your first one represents swords. ” Sanji changed to the other note. “This one seems to be talking about–” he had to read it twice. “ _The old dormant feeling that you greatly cling to._ Oh my god. Sleeping? _Really?_ _That’s_ one of the things you like the most?” 

“Hey, no one said your theory is true. But yeah, I like to sleep, so what?”

“But–” Sanji frowned, “what happened there on the waterfall after all? You fell asleep?” Sanji chuckled. “Don’t tell me you got lo–”

“Yes.” Zoro interrupted.

Sanji lowered his brow ridge. “Yes what? You were sleeping?”

Zoro snorted. “Not on purpose, asshole. Do you think I would’ve let you go inside that lake if that damn fish woman hadn’t tried to put me to sleep? Or something worse, I don’t fucking know. That fucking song of hers. It took me a while, but I managed to get out of the trance.”

Sanji’s mouth was hanging half opened. 

“But what took you out of the trance, then?” He finally asked.

“Well, seeing you.” Zoro responded. The stunlook on Sanji’s face made him change his tone. “I mean, ‘cause you’re someone I know. It must’ve brought me back to reality. I knew you would die if I didn’t wake up, ‘cause you can’t see a pretty face without going on dumb mode. So I had to save you, again.” Zoro paused for a moment. “But you ended up saving me too, in a way… so… I guess we’re even this time.”

This was too much cordiality for a day. He didn’t know what the fuck was happening, but if they were going to be stuck there together, it didn’t hurt to call a truce.

“I see,” Sanji said.

Quietude once again fell upon them, accompanied only by the glances they were darting at each other.

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” Sanji broke the silence. “The notes seem to be taking us to the things we love but… they seem like deadly versions of those things. Like… oh, you love food? Then die poisoned. Love women? Die kissing one. Love swords? Die slashed. Love sleeping? Di –”

“I didn’t even get _close_ to dying slashed.” Zoro reclined back, palms on the ground. “And I don’t care about your theories, _or_ that treasure. Stop overthinking it.”

Sanji rolled his eyes. “ _God,_ you’re so god damn irritating. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to keep thinking about these notes, ’cause I don’t want to be forever stuck in this forest with a shitty green muscle head.” Sanji took the riddles on his hands.

“Did you even find this _thing you like the most_ in your new message?”

Sanji squinted his eyes as he examined the note. “Hmm… no… I don’t see what it could be, especially if both of us would have to like it at the same time, since we got the same riddle.”

Zoro lifted himself, adjusting his hips closer to Sanji’s and leaning near his chest to take a better look at the paper. Sanji breathed in a little deeper than usual.

“Well, we both like to fight.” Zoro remarked.

_ Fight for what you want, even if it’s out of touch. _

“Hum… yeah, maybe…” Sanji stroked his chin. “But we still need to figure out where to go now.”

“Last time the _near the warm and golden_ part was what gave us the clue.”

“Yeah… and this part _next to what’s rock-solid is where you should settle_ seems to be–” Sanji read the sentence again. “Wait a minute… _next to what’s rock-solid…_ I saw a pathway made of rocks on my way here! Do you think that’s what this is about?”

“Well, that settles it,” Zoro unhurriedly stood up and hanged his backpack on one shoulder.

“What? Don’t you want to discuss it? What if we’re wrong?” but Sanji stood up anyway.

“You said it yourself, we need to keep moving if we want to find the way out. Or the crew, or _any_ other person, really. Or you’d rather stay alone with me in this forest, eyebrows?" Zoro started walking, but Sanji stood still. 

Sanji snarled. “Fine. But you’re going in the wrong way.” Zoro followed him to the correct direction.

“Besides,” Zoro grinned, “if we’re really expecting to fight in our next challenge thing, I’m hoping to get a _real_ fight, not to go around saving you all the time.” 

Sanji snorted loudly. “You know, my leg is itching to burn something. I wonder what seaweed barbecue would taste like,” he mocked. 

“You’ll have to wait ’till this shitty challenge, curly. Perhaps if you find a weaker opponent,” his smirk went wider.

_ Something tells me we won’t have to reach the end of the path to pick up a fight. _

__

***

__

In spite of Sanji’s prediction, the rest of their hike went a lot quieter. They reached the bifurcation around the myrodiatree in no time, then they walked by the stone path on the left, crossing the rocks above a brook.

Soon, from up the tree-less hill they were walking on, they spotted faint orange roofs above some small constructions.

“A village! Thank god. Hope we find a nice little inn to stay.” Sanji held his suit in his hand while they walked under the sun. His sleeves were folded up in an attempt to freshen up himself, but droplets of sweat were running down from his forehead continuously.

“I just need to find a god damn shadow for a change.” Zoro was walking a little bit ahead. He took off his shirt unceremoniously, using the fabric to wipe his damp skin. He leisurely ran his shirt up his torso, shoulders and nape, then went up his temples and forehead. Sanji inexplicably couldn’t stop his eyes from lingering on every movement Zoro was making. 

“We’re here.” Zoro met his gaze, and Sanji promptly averted his look.

No wonder Sanji didn’t notice they had already arrived to the village. It was completely silent, almost abandoned. There was no sign of a living being, apart from a little rat that raced to the nearest hole on a wall.

The constructions they had seen from the distance were actually shops, all with a ‘closed’ sign on the door, except for a small and dusty one. The light coming from inside the shop made the word ‘antiquary’ perfectly visible on the frosted glass.

With a shared look, they agreed to go in. Sanji lightly knocked on the heavy door, but not before noticing a curious gray symbol drawn on the wood: a crescent moon enclosing a circle.

“Come in,” a voice responded, and they entered the store.

The shop’s shelves were full of dusty antiques; table lamps, dolls, mantel clocks, statues, and some old objects Sanji couldn’t recognize. A tired-looking old man seemed indifferent to their entrance, and kept writing on a small notepad from behind the counter.

Zoro wandered through the store, while Sanji approached the old man.

“Excuse me,” said Sanji, “You don’t happen to sell cigarettes here, do you?”

The man lowered his glasses, examining Sanji. “No, I don’t, sir,” he responded with his faint voice.

“Uhm… do you know where I can find any? Or a restaurant, or a hotel, or any open place, really.”

“No one has come to this village in days, sir. The festival begins tomorrow.”

“Festival?”

“Indeed, sir. The annual festival on Matsu Town, the city at the end of the road. You should hurry if you want to find a vacant hotel, sir. Matsu Town must be very crowded by now.”

It was hard to believe that any place near this abandoned town could be that crowded. 

“But aren’t there any inns here on this village?” asked Sanji.

“No, sir. Only some cottages near the entrance of Matsu Town. Just follow the stone road until the end, sir. You can’t go wrong.”

_ Oh, I know someone who could.  _ “Thanks, mister. Did you hear that, Zo–” Sanji turned around, but Zoro was not in sight. Then, he spotted another door on the far wall, under a sign with two crossed swords and the word ‘blades’written down. _Of course._

Sanji crossed the room and entered the next one. Tall shelves, filled with dusty expository swords, divided the dimly lit chamber into narrow aisles. Sanji strolledthrough one of them, observing the different blades and shapes around him.

Until something caught his attention. At the end of the aisle, on the opposing wall, two squeaky clean long knives were hanging crossed over each other. Their handles were made of a dark iridescent gemstone, the blade perfectly sharp. 

Sanji reached up and grabbed one of the handles, when he noticed a mirrored movement on his left. Zoro had taken the other knife, his expression showing that he too hadn’t noticed Sanji before.

“Pretty, right?” Sanji analyzed the knife he took on his hands.

“Yeah,” Zoro said, taking the other one, “but why would you care for a blade like this?” 

Sanji chuckled. In a quick movement, he spun the knife around his fingers and thrust the blade, stopping against Zoro’s neck and holding the position. “Are you really asking this to a high-class cook?” he simpered.

Zoro raised his eyebrows, smirking with his mouth hanging half open. “Didn’t know you could do this.”

Sanji moved the knife back, grinning while repeating the spinning movement. “Yeah,” he took the other knife from Zoro’s grip and inspected both on his hands, “but you’ll never see me use one outside of a kitchen.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoro gave him a _look,_ as if he was an unruly mischievous child that had just been told to behave. He took one of his swords out of its scabbard, and Sanji barely had time to think before he crossed the knives in front of him, blocking Zoro’s attack. 

Zoro swung his sword downwards, his amused expression never fading. Sanji defended himself, smirking, and quickly managed to attack him back. 

They sparred for some time in that cramped space, until both were panting. Sanji made his final lunge, blocked once more by Zoro. They leered at each other, the blades keeping their grins a small distance apart, their heavy breaths entangling. Sanji’s blood rushed swiftly through his veins.

“That’s enough,” Sanji pulled the knives away, “These hands were made for cooking.” He could feel his cheeks blushing as much as Zoro’s. Surely it was due to their exhaustion. 

Zoro sheathedhis sword, and Sanji smiled down at the knives. “I liked these. I don’t know if this place is real or not, or if we can walk away with the things we buy on this island, but… I’m taking one.”

They returned to where the old man still took his notes, and Sanji purchased the knife, now kept in its black leather sheath. The man seemed a little surprised to be doing any kind of sale on that day. 

Sanji couldn’t hide his curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir… how do you keep your business going? I mean, this is the only open store around here.” 

“I don’t understand your question, sir,” his brows knitted in genuine confusion.

“Uhm… I didn’t mean to be rude, but… I was just curious… this festival must be hard on your business.”

“Not at all, sir! We always have money.”

“Huh?”

“We’re never out of money, sir.”

Sanji and Zoro shared a bewildered look.

“Here is your change!” he reached his puny arm to Sanji, “Just keep walking down the road and you’ll reach the old cottage complex before Matsu Town. Have a nice day!”

They lingered there for a moment, before taking the hint to finally leave. 

The boys followed the instructions, back on the road. The sun was now lowering on the horizon, easing on the heat, but the decreasing of the light just made the town at the end of the road stand out more. 

Bright lights and loud music reached their senses from afar. The colorful Matsu Town was indeed _very_ crowded; cheerful people could be seen from up the hill, children running all the way to the Ferris Wheel with cotton candies in hands. 

The few people walking on their opposite direction were crossing back the gates of Matsu Town, only to pass through an open portress near a cabin, outside of the town. Above the entrance of the fenced complex, a sign read _Garden Chalet._

“Finally. Can’t wait to take a nap,” Zoro said.

“And _I_ can’t wait to take a shower in my own cottage, far away for your ugly mug.”

They approached the cabin and asked for their respective keys, as they had enough berries to afford the comfort of being separate.

But the receptionist man rolled his lips inwards, pitifully glancing at the only key left hanging on the compartment.

“Sorry, we’re a little crowded this week. The only cottage we have available is one of the further ones. It’s a little old, see, one of our first constructions. But I assure you it’s very cozy!”

“Oh,” Sanji glanced at the loud and crowded city, sighing. That was the best they could hope to get. “That’s ok, we’re keeping it. But how far are we talking?” 

“It’s… down the hill, near the Garden Lake.” The man was holding his breath, searching for a change of expression in the boys’ faces, as if they could understand the meaning of those descriptions.

“Uhm, okay. Where’s the key?” 

The man released the tension on his shoulders. Zoro settled the advanced payment, and took the key to the cottage. A fading number 3 was written on the keychain. 

“Heh, my lucky number,” Zoro smiled as they walked into the complex. 

“Three? Three is your lucky number?” Sanji frowned.

“Hm? Yeah… you know, three swords, three earrings…” 

“Huh.” Sanji said, contemplating.

“What’s the deal?”

“No biggie. It’s my lucky number too. I mean, my name literally means three.”

“ _Oh_ … That’s right…”

Both remained quiet as they strolled down the hill. The path was illuminated by old-looking light poles, and they could see the number 35 on one of the modern cottages. _Still a long way to go._

By the time they reached the end of the road, night fully came. This final section of the path was very poorly lit, and the cottages from 1 to 4 were very apart from each other. The grass was a little high, and natural vegetation and low bushes enclosed the so-called Garden Lake, still a little far ahead down the hill.

They got to the cottage number 3; antiquated, the paint peeling off, but seemed cozy enough. An untidy washing tank and worn clotheslines were found between the front door and a large wooden window. 

Inside, the cottage was very modest, with no internal walls besides the bathroom ones. A counter separated the small dining table and its two chairs from the old-fashioned kitchen furniture. Across the room, a shabby sofa lied next to a rusty floor lamp. And on their left, there was… _Oh, great._

“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me,” Sanji snorted loudly at the sight of the onlydouble bed in the room. “I’m going to kick that man’s face out of his head,” he said, already turning back outside.

“Relax, geez, you’re so whiny,” Zoro said, and Sanji stopped walking. “There’s a couch here, isn’t there? We can take turns. Or you can find yourself another hotel.” Zoro threw his backpack on the floor and lied on the sofa, resting his hands behind his head.

“Fine,” Sanji grumbled, “But I’m taking the bed first.” Sanji laid his bag on the counter. He examined the cabinets and fridge, only to find them completely empty. “I’m going to buy some groceries at that Matsu Town, you coming?”

Zoro’s snoring answered the question.

Sanji quickly washed himself up on the bathroom sink, and sat by the table just enough to rest his tired legs, then walked all the way back to the cheerful town.

It was even more beautiful from up close. Multi-colored flag pennants were hanging above all streets, together with tiny little light bulbs on a string. It was like a Christmas party on spring, the wonderful ladies wearing light skirts or flowing dresses at the hot night breeze.

A huge water fountain surrounded by colorful flowers filled the center of the square. Couples were romantically sitting on the cute benches or even dancing together, kids played at the festival games, and a delicious smell came from the food stands. He _had_ to come back here fully rested tomorrow.

Sanji bought the groceries and – thank god – a new box of cigarettes. Resting on a bench, he smoked a little before walking back to the cottage, when a stand next to him caught his attention. He pulled up a flyer in particular, that announced a fighting tournament taking place on the festival the next day. _Interesting._ He kept the flyer, grinning to himself.

***

A while later, Sanji found Zoro still in the same state, and kicked him awake.

“Help me store the food, bastard. It’s bad enough that you weren’t there to be my pack mule.”

Zoro grunted, and Sanji took his new lustrous knife out of is leather sheath, and chopped some onions while Zoro kept the food inside the cabinets and fridge.

“I don’t think this blade is made for cooking.” Zoro said, glancing at the knife.

“Of course it is. It’s in the hands of a cook, isn’t it? I’ve already washed it clean.”

Zoro kept quiet for a moment. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

Sanji narrowed his eyes, still staring at the onions. “I was taught. Sword lessons. My… uh… _family_ made me.”

Sanji could feel Zoro’s gaze, and he hoped his absence of words were clue enough to stop him from asking more.

And he didn’t.

“Hey,” said Sanji, during their meal, “I’ve found this flyer there in the town.” He handed it to Zoro. “It has a little guide to the festival, but it especially talks about tomorrow’s big event. It appears to be a fight competition or something like that.”

Zoro grinned. “Well, this should be fun. It must be that fight our notes were talking about.”

“You believe my theory now, mossy? I think so too but… It looks like a tournament, with some weird formal bullshit. Guess we’ll see it tomorrow.” Sanji stood up when he finished his meal. “I’m gonna take a shower before going to bed, okay?”

“I’ll do the dishes, then.” Zoro said. He rolled his eyes when he saw the baffled look and teasing grin on Sanji’s face. “Go, before I change my mind.”

After taking all the dirt out from the past hours in the forest, Sanji finally melted into the soft mattress. It was definitely old, but perfect for a man as tired as he was. 

Zoro’s snore could be heard already, coming from the sofa. _That guy can sleep anywhere, can’t he? Has he always snored like this?_ Sanji envied him though. He had that huge bed all to himself, yet he couldn’t fall asleep. At least he wasn’t worrying about being stomped in his sleep by a giant metallic beast anymore. 

Flashes of the events that passed earlier in the day flooded Sanji’s mind, and he shivered. That damn fake mermaid. He definitely needed to be less chill about this island’s challenges. And… maybe _more chill_ towards Zoro? _Whatever._ He was a pain in the ass. 

That last thought left a sour taste in his mouth. That day had been… well… really long. He turned his head back at the couch, studying the moving silhouette of his crewmate in the dark. The corner of Sanji’s mouth formed a slight hint of a smile. 

He fell asleep shortly after, no longer bothered by any snoring sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The building up phase is finally over! Please stick around to see things spicing up a little more on this really slow slow burn hehe


	5. Touch

The festival had a totally different look now under the rays of the afternoon sun. The bright lights Sanji saw yesterday were off, but it didn’t make the place any less colorful. There were not as many people dancing, but a cheerful song still softly played on the back to set the mood.

Zoro was walking as quiet as always, observing the small town for the first time, but he didn’t seem very impressed by the joyful people and the delicious food stands. 

They reached the elliptical fighting arena, as shown on the flyer. It reminded Sanji of the Corrida Colosseum in Dressrosa, but much smaller and a lot more modern-looking. 

The same curious grey shape he had seen at the shop – the crescent moon surrounding a circle – once again caught Sanji’s attention, right above the front door.

Near the entrance, a few men lined up behind a desk to sign up for the fight, and a poster announced the tournament.

ENTER THE BIANNUAL FUND-RAISING COMPETITION! SIGN UP NOW FOR A CHANCE TO GET ONE OF THE BUCKETS! * 

_ SUBSCRIPTION FEE: 10 BERRIES _

_ TICKETS: 15 BERRIES _

_ *only men are allowed to compete. _

__

“There won’t be any ladies around? That’s not fair!” Sanji said as they entered the line.

“It’s not like you would fight them anyway,” Zoro responded.

“Oh… yeah. Good point. Ladies should not be fighting those brute men, indeed.”

Zoro just rolled his eyes at that. “And what is a bucket? A literal bucket?”

Sanji shrugged. “Buckets full of money, maybe?” 

As they finished writing their names on the list, they were guided to the chamber where all the other participants were waiting. 

The round room had around thirty chairs, displayed in a semi-circular shape. The boys were told to take a seat with the other competitors, and they occupied two of the six remaining seats. A few uniformed men and women were standing on a corner, waiting or checking on some papers, and one of them held a small basket.

After a few more men entered the room, a uniformed middle-aged woman greeted the participants.

“All right, the last one,” she said, guiding a boy to his seat, “so that makes thirty of you. I assume most of you already know the rules, but I’ll be explaining them in a bit. First, take your ribbons.”

The uniformed man holding the basket approached the first competitor in the half-circle, and positioned the object in front of him. Another employee took a red ribbon from the basket without looking, and tied it on the competitor’s wrist. 

They continued around the seats, randomly assigning a red, blue or green strip to each one of them.

A short and skinny boy across the half-circle came to Sanji’s observation. He was holding his untied blue ribbon, trying as hard as he could to talk to the competitor on his side without being noticed. He was breathing heavily, and seemed to be pleading for something, as he tried to give him his own strip.

The other man was reluctant, but finally sighed and untied his green ribbon, trading colors with the skinny boy. Sanji had never seen someone so relieved before, at least while still trying so hard to keep it to himself. The boy was wearing over-sized grey clothes and a black beanie, and his somewhat delicate features implied that maybe he was too young to be there.

Sanji caught himself when the two employees appeared in front of him. Zoro was already with a blue ribbon, and a red one was taken out of the basket for him. 

The man tying the red strip on his wrist didn’t seem to notice what he was doing anymore, barely looking the competitors on the face. But the other one… he wasn’t just _staring_ at Sanji, for some reason, but also… _smirking_?

He was still glancing at Sanji from time to time, as he went through the four remaining competitors. _What is he looking at?_

The lovely middle-aged woman approached the center of the room once more.

“All right,” said the lady, “now, you’ve just been sorted into teams for the competition. Each team will have 10 participants, that will fight one another until there’s only one left. The best fighter of each group will dispute for the main prize.” 

The room was filled with a buzz from the competitors, but she continued. “The ones that have the red ribbon are _The Jocks_. You will be following Mr. Oscar here.”

She pointed to the man who was still smiling at Sanji.

“The ones with the blue ribbon are _The Gentlemen_ , and will be following me,” she continued.

Sanji and Zoro immediately changed looks. Sanji was holding down a laugh, and even Zoro seemed to be scornful at the idea of him being a gentleman.

“And finally, the –” she squeezed her eyes, looking twice at the paper on her hands, “uhm, _The Bad Boys_. The ones with green ribbons can follow Mr. Joshua. Off you go!”

_ Geez, where do they get these names from? _

The participants started following their assigned employees, and Sanji and Zoro stared at each other.

“See you at the final round, then,” Sanji smirked.

“Don’t lose, shitty cook,” Zoro grinned with the corner of his lips, then turned away.

***

“All right, you can change your clothes now!” 

Oscar was pointing to the clothes rack at the back of the small room, filled with jackets, jeans, sweater pants, tank tops, jerseys, and everything Sanji would rather not wear. The other men were already taking their hanging pieces of apparel.

“Wait. Why do we have to change clothes?” Sanji asked him.

Oscar raised his eyebrows, apparently just remembering the man he had been looking at so much was on his team. “Oh, you’re new, sweetie? What’s your name?”

“I’m Sanji.”

“Well then, Sanji, I’m gonna help you,” Oscar led him to the racks. “Let’s see... You don’t fit the jock type so much, do you? But I’m sure you’ll look pretty anyway,” He smiled mischievously, then turned his attention to the rack.

_ Is he hitting on me? He can’t be, right?  _

Sanji glanced at Oscar, and… well, he wasn’t ugly himself. For a man, of course. He had pitch black hair, and his short curls danced playfully around his head. The warm and dark color of his skin perfectly shaped his toned arms, restlessly moving around the clothes on the rack. 

Sanji shook his head and looked elsewhere.

Oscar finally chose a red and beige college jacket, a white tank top, a pair of jeans and black sneakers. “There you go! Keep the jacket open. I’m sure miss Bella will adore you!”

_“Who?”_

_ A beautiful lady will see me with these clothes on? _

Oscar just cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes at him for a moment, but then let out a chortle. “Don’t take too long, okay? I’m calling you all in five minutes. You guys are the first group to fight. Good luck!” He winked and walked back to the entrance of the room.

Sanji just gawked at the apparel on his hands. _Why the hell would someone choose to wear jeans on a fight?_

He looked for a lonely corner in the room, and began changing his clothes.

***

“Good afternoon, my dear spectators!” Sanji could hear a man using a den den mushi speaker from the fighting arena outside.“Are you as excited as I am to see our competitors?”

The crowd cheered and shouted from the other side of the gate. The ten of them were standing behind the bars, waiting to be called. To Sanji’s surprise, he was actually kind of comfortable in his so-called _jock outfit_.

“Yes!” the man continued, “I bet the Bucket sisters are even more excited than us, right? Let’s hear an applause for Bella, Rose and Tiana Bucket!”

_ Wait, what? _

The crowd clapped and whistled, apparently with the entrance of those Bucket sisters. Sanji couldn’t see anything through the gate from where he was standing.

“Yes, yes! We’re all here to see who will win the heart of a beautiful sister today, as the champion will get to go on a date with the lady that owns his team! And, of course, he will receive a symbolic amount of five hundred berries!”

_ Oh my god. What? Am I dreaming? Oh no, I’m not properly dressed for this! Shit! _

“So, let’s meet the teams now, shall we? First, the powerful athletes that melt the heart of miss Bella! _The Jocks!”_

The gate was lifted and Sanji’s team entered the arena. The place was like a small stadium, surrounded by hundreds of high seats for the audience. His steps were softly muffled by the sand grounds on the elliptical fighting area.

After waving to the cheering crowd, he got to take a look at the sisters, located on a higher enclosed sector.

_ Wonderful, _ of course. Bella was standing up, waving and sending kisses at them. Her red cropped top and black pants fit her body perfectly, and her blond wavy hair was falling over one shoulder as a waterfall of liquid gold.

_ That’s it. I’m gonna die. Or am I in heaven already? _

The other two remained seated. The sister in a blue blouse was delicately smiling at them. Her golden waves stopped on her shoulders, and if it weren’t for the bangs and glasses, she would look even more like Bella.

The last one didn’t seem to be having a good time. She was leaning back on her chair, one foot on the seat. Her musky-green hoodie was partially hiding her straight blond hair, a little shorter than Bella’s. Her pale features were a bit sharper than her sisters’, but equally beautiful.

“Okay! Now, let’s take a look on the second team! Who will be the lucky man to catch this reserved young girl’s attention? Let’s hear it for Rose’s team, _The Bad Boys!”_

Rose rolled her eyes from under her green hoodie. 

But when her team followed the applause, her jaw suddenly gaped wide open. She jumped up and leaned against the railing, her face stiff, as if she had seen a ghost.

The ten boys from the green team aligned themselves by the red team’s left. The slender boy he had seen earlier didn’t seem to have changed clothes at all. He kept his beanie and large pants, but now he had an oversized black sweater on top of it all. He kept his arms crossed, glaring at the ground, but failing to hide his nervousness.

All the other boys had baggy pants, hoodies, silver chains, denim jackets, and oversized clothes in general, but the small boy seemed to fit the style the most.

“And now, we’ll have the team of the lovely Tiana! Will she find a polite and intelligent man that fits her taste?”

_ Oh, yeah, she’ll absolutely love Zoro. _

“Please welcome _The Gentlemen!”_

Tiana quietly stood up, gently smiling and waving as her team entered the arena. The ten boys were all in… _What the hell?_

Zoro was walking at the back of the line, visibly very bothered. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and black four-button suit, while trying to get rid of the tight blue tie.

Sanji’s heart fastened a little, but when Zoro positioned himself near his right, he let out a chuckle. 

“Finally looking decent, huh?” Sanji mocked.

“How can you stand this crap on your neck all day long?” Zoro was still struggling to pull the tie away.

“It’s called _class._ Who put this on you? It looks very tight.”

“Damn right it is!”

“Just take the knot in your hand and pull sideways.”

Zoro did what he said, loosening the tie a bit too much. “Thanks. That’s better.” Then he undid the first three buttons of the shirt, and opened the suit entirely.

Sanji tittered. “I don’t think lady Tiana will like that.”

“Screw it. _You_ should be on this team, not me. Why didn’t they make an interview with us or something? Nobody on my team is a gentleman.”

“Is this a compliment, marimo?” Sanji lit up a cigarette, smirking. “This is a small town, I don’t think they would be able to afford the time to do it. Plus, there wouldn’t be exactly 10 men on each team, would it?”

“…and now, the first fight begins!” the announcer continued. “Please, green and blue teams, return to the waiting rooms! Let’s hear another round of applause for The Jocks!”

Zoro smugly smiled at Sanji before following his team. “Don’t let those chicks distract you, ero-cook.”

Sanji inhaled on his cigarette, and a bell signaled the beginning of the fight.

He stood there, smoking and paying attention to the competitors’ movements. There weren’t many strong fighters, but one of them caught his eye.

The tallest and brawniest of the fighters, the man’s appearance didn’t lie. He punched one after another, and even when two of them attacked together, he stood still, barely changing his expression. He seemed to belong in this group, although his tattooed arms, spiky hair and aloof look would make him fit on the green team a little better. 

Sanji knocked down two men that tried to attack him, but the rest of them were taken down almost entirely by that guy. 

And just like that, the two of them were the only ones left standing. _Too easy._ But Sanji decided he’d better keep a low profile. _It’s not a damn marine fleet._

The man realized Sanji was his last opponent, so he rushed to his encounter. Sanji threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it, ready to fight.

He aimed a punch on Sanji’s jaw, who quickly bent down and spun, attempting to do a sweep kick, but he was tough. The man kept his balance and charged again.

_ Boy, I needed this. _

Sanji was taking his time on the fight, releasing the energy he had been keeping. There was something raw and intense about fighting, and he couldn’t explain the feeling. The muscles on his legs were begging to kick and twist, and each hit they exchanged just rushed his blood for more.

He was planning to keep it to himself, but they just kept attacking and blocking with roughly the same strength, and soon he decided it was enough. Sanji took a few steps back, raising a cloud of sand around them when he spun at full speed on one leg, making it catch on fire.

The crowd gasped, but he wasn’t turning back. _At least I’m not flying, right?_

He rushed to his opponent, diving to escape his last attempt on an assault. Sanji did a handstand, twirling himself and striking the poor man to the ground with his burning foot. 

And he no longer moved.

The crowd cheered louder than ever, praising and applauding the winner. 

“Unbelievable!” the announcer shouted, “that was unbelievable, folks! The Jocks have a champion already! Competitor number 26, Vinsmoke Sanji!”

Sanji shivered at the sound of his last name, but grinned while lighting another cigarette. Miss Bella was beaming and waving vigorously at him. He gently bowed, sending her a kiss with his hand.

He was sent to a small elevated area, where the winners were supposed to stay, then he took a seat to watch the next fight.

The Bad Boys were the following team to enter the arena. None of the competitors stood out that much, so this round was taking a bit longer. 

Okay, a lot longer.

He looked around, slightly bored. There was his beautiful Bella, on a privileged seat a little higher above, but strangely she didn’t seem to be noticing him anymore.

Rose wasn’t nearly as indifferent as she seemed at first. She was leaning forward on the railing, looking so worried that she was on the edge of tearing up. 

Zoro was nowhere to be seen, since his team was sent back to the waiting room before. _I wonder if he watched my fight…_

Apparently, the skinny boy was managing to use his height to his advantage. The fight was now between him and one final competitor. Quick as a cat, the boy dodged and confused his much taller opponent, crawling between his legs and jumping on his back. 

He was clearly not very strong, but suddenly he hit the man on a specific point on his neck, making him lose his balance. The boy jumped back down, sending a kick right to his balls.

The man fell on his knees, agonizing. The boy then quickly punched him upwards on the nose, making him faint.

_ Ouch. _

The crowd screamed and rejoiced for its newest champion. 

“Wow, that was tough to see, huh!” the announcer said. “The Bad Boys’ champion, competitor number 4, Miles Olson!”

Miles was all scratched and bruised, but he didn’t seem too happy to have won. He looked at Rose almost defiantly, and she returned his glare.

_ What a rude little boy. _

Miles was also instructed to climb the stairs to the winners’ area. He gave Sanji the same enraged look, before seating next to him and gazing down at the arena, waiting for the next battle. 

The gentlemen entered the fighting grounds, and the bell announced the fight. Zorowas not feeling uncomfortable anymore, except for the fact he wasn’t using his swords, as weapons were prohibited, but it actually didn’t appear to be making that much of a difference. Zoro was defeating one competitor after another – although not as quickly as Sanji knew he could – and was obviously calling attention to himself.

Zoro barely contained his grin. He absolutely shined on fights, like he belonged on that arena. Sanji realized that maybe his delay on taking everyone down had nothing to do with keeping a low profile, as Sanji did on his fight; he was just having too much fun to end this quickly. 

_ Conceited bastard,  _ Sanji thought, smiling.

Sanji was trying to avoid thinking about how that final battle would go. All this time they had spent competing with each other, but they never knew which one was the best. Zoro was indeed a beast, but there was definitely beauty in his fighting skills. His movements were sharp and precise, and even with no swords, he was clearly born for this.

Zoro smirked widely at the last man standing, making him recoil a little. Zoro rushed with no hesitation, taking him down with ease. 

The crowd stood silent for a second, taken aback. But then, the cheering and shouting grew ever louder.

“ _WHOA!_ What a fight we witnessed just now! Unbelievable! May I present to you, the Gentlemen champion! Competitor 25, Roronoa Zoro!” 

Zoro raised his head and turned directly to Sanji, and they smiled at each other.

A scream of joy came from where the sisters stood, and Sanji jumped on his seat, suddenly aware that he had totally forgotten about them.

Tiana was absolutely amazed, and Bella oddly seemed to be cheering a lot too. Zoro didn’t even bother to look at the sisters. _What a gentleman, huh._

But a thought came to Sanji’s mind. What would Zoro do if he won the tournament? Would he really kiss Tiana in front of everyone? Would he even go out with her? It didn’t seem like something he would do…

… _right?_

Zoro went up to the winners’ area, as the tournament was taking a little break.

“Show-off,” Sanji smirked as Zoro took a seat beside him.

“Oh, _I’m_ the show-off?” Zoro tittered. “You literally just put your leg on fire.”

“You saw that?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Sanji smiled to himself. 

Zoro took off his suit, and a faint sweet and pleasant scent went straight to Sanji.

“What’s this smell?”

“Oh,” Zoro responded, “it’s me. They fucking bathed me on perfume. Guess that makes me more of a gentleman? I don’t know why she would care for this.”

Sanji kept his thoughts to himself.

After a few more minutes, the three of them finally went down to the arena, and the battle began.

At first, no one moved, and Zoro and Sanji just smugly smiled at each other.

“So, we’re finally seeing who’s the best fighter, huh?” Sanji teased.

“You know I’m the best fighter. But I’ll take it easy on you, since you’re so desperate to kiss one of those chicks.”

“Oh? And you’re desperate enough to make excuses for your loss, marimo?”

Suddenly, Miles tried to hit Sanji with a punch, and he promptly blocked the attack.

“And you’re assuming that one of you is winning?” Miles yelled. “Don’t forget I’m still here!”

Sanji vaguely attempted to attack him, but he ran away. Miles managed to get behind Zoro, then punched him on the back of his knees, making him lose a little of his balance.

Sanji was amazed by the boy’s speed, so much so that he got distracted enough to let himself be taken down by a sweep kick.

He fell on his back, and Miles got over him. This time, Sanji quickly took the boy’s fists on his hand, blocking his punches. He was very quick, but not so strong, as he had imagined.

Miles frowned at him. “Let me go!”

But Sanji noticed something, now examining him at that short space. His features were indeed delicate, but now it didn’t seem like it was from a lack of age. His skin was soft, his jaw very thin, and cheekbones high. Sanji gasped when he finally saw beyond that glare, right at that long eyelashes and skinnyeyebrows.

“Shit… y-you’re…” Sanji stuttered. 

Miles’s expression went from mild confusion to absolute terror. He quickly released himself from Sanji’s loosened grip and stood up.

“You’re a girl!” Sanji finally said, standing up as well.

Miles’s eyes widened even more, and Sanji knew he was right.

The crowd’s buzz made the girl look around, desperate at the realization that her disguise had fallen.

But then, she took off her beanie. “Fine! I’m a fucking girl! So what? I’m beating your ass anyway!”

Her auburn hair was short, a little bit below her ears, but it was pretty obvious now that she was a girl. 

“MILLIE! STOP THIS NONSENSE NOW!” Rose shouted from the edge of the railing, tears flooding down her cheeks, now finally letting out what she apparently has been trying to hold back.

The girl turned to her. “Rose! I said I’d do it, and I did it, okay? Now I’m gonna win this tournament!”

“Millie, this is ridiculous! Please, you’re gonna get hurt!” Rose burst into tears.

_ Oh. _

Sanji and Zoro shared an understanding look.

_ Oh shit. _

Miles– no, Millie ignored her and turned to Sanji, punctuating her speech with kicks and punches towards him. “I said – so what – if I’m – a  _ girl? _ I won the first fight, just like you two did!”

Sanji was just blocking and dodging her attacks.  “I’m not fighting a lady.”

“I’m not a fucking lady, asshole!” She shoved him. “Just fight me properly, dammit!”

“I don’t fight against girls. Sorry, there’s just no way I’m doing it,” Sanji responded, taking some steps back.

“Huh?” She looked disgusted. “And why is that? You think we’re fragile? Weak? We don’t deserve your respect?”

Zoro put himself between the two. “You know, actually, you’re absolutely right to be mad. This piece of shit here is a little old-fashioned, you see? _He_ should’ve been the Gentlemen champion, not me. But we’re not fighting you, anyway.”

Sanji gently pushed Zoro away. “What this green ogre is trying to say is that… you want this more than we do. Clearly something else is going on here, and we don’t need to know.”

Millie gawked at them, and her forehead furrowed.

Sanji and Zoro shared another knowing smile, and a certain poem crossed his mind.

_ …But also learn when to back down from a battle… _

They turned to the announcer, saying in unison. “We give up!”

Silence took over the small arena. The spectators glanced at each other and at the man with the den den mushi, but more in anticipation than disapproval.

“Well… that certainly was an unexpected turn of events,” said the announcer, “but I guess this young lady has proven herself more than enough! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… the winner of the tournament!”

Rose squealed, taking her hands to her mouth. The crowd screamed, applauded and rejoiced more than ever before, and Millie was taken out of her stupor. She let her beanie fall to the ground, then rushed to Rose’s direction.

Rose jumped the railing of her seating area and invaded the arena, a trail of sand following her rushed steps. They almost ran into each other when they finally engaged in a tight embrace, kissing through the running tears. 

Everybody clapped at the scene, and Sanji couldn’t help but feel warm at the sight. They broke the kiss and beamed with their foreheads still touching, and Rose whispered something Sanji didn’t hear, but could only imagine.

Sanji and Zoro couldn’t help but smile at each other once again, while they turned to leave the place. They had no idea about the story behind all this, but they had apparently done a really good thing.

They stopped by the empty changing rooms to put their clothes back on, then left the place for good. 

On their way out, a familiar voice made them look back. 

“Hey boys, why are you leaving so soon?” Maya smiled teasingly at them. She wasn’t wearing her silver dress anymore. Instead, she wore simple shorts and a T-shirt, but her platinum long hair still made her look as if the moon has melted down on her figure.

“Oh, my dear lady Maya! Where have you been all this time?” Sanji kissed one of her hands, and Zoro just crossed his arms on his chest.

“I’ve been here and there. Listen, you forgot to take your second-place prizes.” She handed each one a small box.

Inside, there were six colorful small disks, with the number 25 printed on each one. Attached to the interior of the open lid, there was a folded piece of paper. 

“A hundred and fifty berries worth of casino chips, for each one of you.” She continued. “You deserve a quick break from all of this. Enjoy yourselves!”

She was turning back to the arena, but Sanji wasn’t letting the opportunity go.

“Maya-san, please wait! We have so many questions! What is this place? Is it even real? Is everyone else okay?”

“Yeah, and how many of those shitty messages do we still have to follow?” Zoro asked.

“So many questions, my dears. Be patient! But you still need to make some more questions before you get to any answer.” She lifted the corner of her lips, staring intensely between them. “Casino opens in a couple of hours, boys. Have fun!” she said, returning to where she came from.

“I fucking hate that witch.” Zoro snorted.

“Hey. Watch your mouth, bastard.” Sanji looked at the open boxes, their interiors pretty much the same. “Do you think we should even go to this?”

“I don’t know. Probably it’s just a bait to take money from us.” Zoro took the piece of paper from his lid and opened it. “Oh, great. Another riddle.”

Sanji also unfolded his message. Their poems were exactly the same again, written with each of their unique fonts.

__

_ Now is the time to encounter your addictions, _

_ And to taste yourself the price of your convictions. _

_ Just let go of control and savor this instant. _

_ You’ll see you’ve gained nothing from being resistant. _

“Addictions. Okay, so we really need to go to this casino.” Sanji said, but Zoro’s brows drew together, as he still examined the paper. “What’s wrong, marimo?”

_ “Taste… Savor…” _ Zoro read the words out loud, “Don’t you think it’s a little weird that these poems always have something to do with one of the five senses?”

Sanji furrowed his forehead, reading his message again. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, it’s always something like _sound, scent,_ or whatever… this one keeps saying things related to taste.”

“Wait a minute…” Sanji took the older messages from his pockets, searching for the pattern.

_ …Seek a familiar scent...  _

_ …You’ll be safe with a sound…  _

_ …even if it’s out of touch… the things you should clutch… _

“Oh my god. Fuck Zoro, you’re right!” Sanji took Zoro’s older riddles from his hands and inspected them. “Seek a familiar _scent_ … if you follow a known _sound…_ out of _touch…_ you’re right! First we followed the smell of food, then we heard the mermaid’s song, now we had to fight… maybe each challenge we go through represents one of the five senses! _”_

“Yeah, it makes sense. But what now? What do we do with this information?”

“The challenges must be getting over, marimo! Now we know there’s only five. And we can prepare ourselves better for this next challenge… it seems to be talking about taste, right? Then the last one should be sight.”

“And how can we prepare for the next challenge?” Zoro asked, as they walked back to their cottage.

“First of all, we have to take extra care of what we eat and drink from now on. Especially on the casino.”

“Well, it can’t be worse than your food, can it?” Zoro grinned teasingly.

“You did not just insult my food, did you?” Sanji replied, squinting his eyes, but his voice bore no anger. “I can leave you starving to death if you wish.”

“Hm, I think I’d prefer that,” Zoro faked a glare, but chuckled right away.

Sanji felt like kicking him on the face, but instead he curled his lips, half-suppressing a smile. He knew that was far from the truth; Zoro was always one of the first ones to repeat every meal he made.

“Would you now? Then why don’t you say that to my face, marimo?”

Sanji took Zoro’s collar on his hand, and pulled him closer. Sanji sustained Zoro’s smirk, but their faces were just a little too close.

Or maybe far too close. 

Suddenly, Zoro’s scent went rushing into Sanji’s nostrils. That strong and sweet smell he had experienced earlier. But this time, it engulfed Sanji completely.

Their smiles faded. They kept staring at each other, frozen in place at that short distance, for some reason Sanji couldn’t explain. He kept holding Zoro’s collar, as he had done so many times before. Only this time, something felt different. 

Sanji studied every corner of Zoro’s face, his own chest raising in a hurried rate.His hair was still a little messy from the fight, and tiny little droplets of sweat still dampened his forehead, but that powerful smell didn’t seem to have faded at the slightest. 

Sanji was feeling his cheeks warming up fast, and Zoro’s skin was just as reddened. He felt the seconds awkwardly going by, but somehow he sensed he could smell that scent for hours. 

Zoro slightly stepped back, and Sanji abruptly let his collar go.

“We should eat before we go to the casino.” Zoro started walking again, and Sanji followed. “Your food, of course,” he added, avoiding Sanji’s gaze.

“Yeah, okay,” Sanji lighted a cigarette.

The rest of their way went awkwardly silent. Sanji let himself walk a bit slower, smoking from behind Zoro.

He couldn’t help but gaze at his crewmate, now that Zoro was a little far away. As he had also done so many times. 

Perhaps more times than he cared to admit.

Maybe they were spending too much time together. Maybe it was this place. Maybe it was some kind of Devil Fruit from the silver lady.

Or maybe it was the perfume.

But of one thing Sanji was certain.

Something has changed.


	6. Delight

Sanji left the shower, hot steam following him out of the bathroom as he walked on his underwear. His roommate was sharpening his swords on the floor next to the bed. The clean dishes from their dinner, as well as Sanji’s beloved new knife, were left to dry out by the kitchen sink.

He caught a glimpse of Zoro’s eye, watching him while he put on his last clean shirt and black pants. Trying to ignore the funny feeling on his chest, he stared him back.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower before we leave?” Sanji asked.

“Nope,” Zoro turned his attention back at his katanas.

_ “Yuck. _ You’re disgusting.” Sanji said, but when they left the cottage, Zoro’s amazing smell once again filled him entirely. _God dammit._

Zoro didn’t seem too happy with having to leave his katanas behind, but there was no way in hell they would allow three swords inside a casino.

The streets were as crowded as ever at the festival, the warm spring breeze dancing through their calm steps, and taking away all the smoke Sanji was exhaling.

The bright neon lights of the casino were highlighted against the dark and cloudless sky. Sanji once again noticed the same crescent moon symbol drawn on the door.

“Zoro, have you noticed this shit? It’s that same symbol again – _Oi,_ marimo!”

Zoro was already going inside, and Sanji followed him.

Loud music and colorful flickering lights dominated the space. There were dozens of types of slot machines, tables for card games, roulettes, a fully stocked bar, but Sanji’s eyes were aiming at a different place.

The beautiful waitresses were all wearing tight uniforms, showing a little of their cleavages. Pretty girls were scattered across the whole saloon, lifting their drinks up and widely smiling, while betting on one of the games. 

“Keep it in your pants, swirly,” Zoro said, as they walked towards the bar. “Let’s find out what we should do with these chips first.”

“I haven’t said any–” Sanji interrupted himself when he saw the gorgeous brunette bartender. “Well good evening, my beautiful lady.” He bowed to her.

“Why hello, my handsome boys! What can I do for you tonight?” She beamed with her perfectly aligned teeth, pulling her long straight black hair back and leaning over the counter.

“Oh, please, you tell me –” Sanji tried to take her hands, but Zoro pulled him back. She tittered and kept her large inviting smile.

“Wipe your drool now, cook,” then Zoro turned to her, “we just need to know what to do with these chips,” he handed her the two boxes.

“Oh! You guys are the ones that fought on the tournament today, right? God, I _loved_ what you did for those girls. Everybody is talking about it!” She bent down to get something from behind the counter. She placed two tiny den den mushi on top of it, attaching them to some kind of machine. She kept their chips on a drawer, pressed some numbers on the machine, then connected each den den mushi to a bracelet.

“Your arms, please!” She asked, then she tied up the bracelet on their wrists. “There you go! These tiny den den mushi will scan everything you want to spend here. Just point them to the corresponding reader den den mushi, and the debt will go to your account! You can spend it anyway you want.”

“You mean, even outside the slotmachines and card games?” Sanji asked.

“Yes, of course! You can even use it to buy food or stuff from here in the bar!” She pointed to the shelves behind her, filled with various brands of whiskey, sake, wine, vodka, and lots of cigarettes flavors.

The boys turned to each other.

“Cigarettes and booze.” Sanji smirked.

“Now we’re talking.” Zoro grinned back.

They asked for a small bottle of sake for each one, and Sanji bought two boxes of cigarettes. The bartender unsealed Zoro’s bottle, but he furrowed his brows.

“Wait. We forgot about the taste task,” he said.

The woman just looked confused.

“How do we know we can trust this sake?” Zoro asked her.

“What do you mean?” she sneered lightly, “I just opened it, right in front of you.”

“Don’t insult the lady, marimo,” Sanji said.

“Don’t be stupid, you said it yourself! We have to be careful of what we ingest.”

“Will this help?” She teasingly smiled, before taking a mouthful of Zoro’s sake, making sure to drink it slowly, deeply staring at Zoro with her dark hooded narrow eyes. She then passed him the bottle, delicately wiping her smirk with the tip of her fingers.

_ Sweet mother of Jesus. _

Zoro’s frowning face blushed a little, but he yanked the beverage from her hands.

“Do you want me to drink yours too, honey?” She leered at Sanji, after opening his bottle.

“There’s no need, we got it already.” Zoro said, before Sanji could stop gawking at her to respond. 

“Okay, then!” she chuckled, “my shift as a waitress starts in a bit. See you around!”

Zoro pulled Sanji by his arm, taking him to the nearest poker table. The lady waved her fingers on a goodbye, winking at Sanji, and he melted a little inside.

Sanji felt an urge to kick Zoro in the head for yanking him from the bar like that, but soon he noticed the gorgeous lady taking the bets from the table. And some other ladies playing on that table. And those wonderful waitresses, and the beautiful customers everywhere, and _god,_ this place was truly awesome.

Zoro had a good start on the game, but Sanji was on fire. He won almost every round, and even called the attention of some people around them. Soon, the crowd increased, eager to watch and cheer for Sanji’s victories.

Sanji was quickly emptying his small bottle of sake, as each time he won he would celebrate with a sip or two. He was surrounded by people trying to congratulate him, and a lot of girls were trying to call his attention. _Paradise._

Zoro wasn’t as excited as him. Even on the rounds he tied with another player, he didn’t lose that grumpy face of his. 

Sanji stared at him from behind his big pile of poker chips, smiling mischievously, waiting for Zoro’s move. 

Zoro looked at what was left of his own chips and sighed. “Ok. I’m all in.”

The people around them were jumping in anticipation. Sanji and Zoro gazed at each other, until Sanji lowered his cards, winning all of Zoro’s chips.

The small crowd cheered loudly, and Sanji threw his arms to the air, grinning. He even got a hug from a random girl.

“We’re still splitting up what we earn here, right?” Zoro asked, his mouth set in a hard line.

“Hmm, I don’t know marimo, I don’t really feel like it. We’ll see.” Sanji smirked and drank the rest of his bottle. “God, I need more booze. Oh, there you are, sweety!”

The brunette bartender approached the table, beaming. She lowered the tray and showed them the drinks available. “Hi there, gorgeous! Oh wow, did you win all that? That’s awesome! Are you guys having fun, then?”

“Of course, better now that you’re here!” Sanji said in his best delicate tone.

She laughed and tossed her hair, passing them new bottles of sake. She marked the debit on Sanji’s wrist den den mushi, but Zoro looked suspicious once again.

She raised a brow, but smiled nonetheless. “Do I have to drink from your bottle every time? I’m working, you know.” She teased.

Zoro reluctantly took the drink from her hand with a glare.

“Don’t mind that brute, my dear. What’s your name?” Sanji asked.

“I’m Mei. And you two beauties?” Mei reached her free hand and played with Sanji’s hair.

But then, Zoro abruptly stood up.

Sanji darted his eyes at him, snapping his brows together. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Well, I’m going to try my luck elsewhere, since I clearly can’t find any here.” Zoro turned away.

_ “Huh? _ You know I was kidding about the money, right? Zoro? Hey, Zoro!” He called, but Zoro was already too far away to hear it, and Sanji just stared at his back, as he vanished amongst the other players.

***

Sanji went outside for a little bit, to try and soothe the headache that was beginning to show on the last half an hour. 

Maybe he was drinking too much.

He went to the smoking area, deeply inhaling a cigarette after another.

_ Where the hell is Zoro? _

He glanced around, vaguely watching his smoking companions. Oddly enough, the smoke coming from some of them didn’t look or smell like tobacco at all.

Sanji didn’t know if he felt guilty, or ashamed, or… or _what have you._ He just knew that he was feeling pretty fucking weird without Zoro around. And _that_ was pretty fucking weird on itself.

A waiter approached him with a tray, offering more drinks.

Sanji studied the possibility for a moment, but the strange little feeling on his chest spoke a bit louder.

Maybe he wasn’t drinking enough.

***

Sanji was so happy. Those bright lights were starting to look like little blurry spots now, but that’s okay. Maybe that’s why he started losing so much on poker, and on the slot machines, and pretty much every game he tried to play on the last hour, but it was fine. He had never felt so awesome before.

Mei approached him when he left one of the slot machines. Cheerful as always, she showed him the drinks tray.

“My lovely Mei, I can’t believe you’re here!” He kissed her unoccupied hand. “My life is now filled with sunshine, your smile is –” Sanji tripped over a stool, losing his balance.

Mei chuckled. “Okay, okay, sweety. Don’t you think you’ve drunk enough already?” 

“Hey, I was wondering,” Sanji went serious all of a sudden, ignoring her question and taking a new bottle, “have you seen my… uhm… my _friend?”_

“Oh, he hasn’t come back since then? I haven’t seen him, dear. Maybe he’s upstairs, there are a couple more games on other floors.”

“REALLY?” he shouted, “Oh I have to see those other games! Thank you!”

Mei squinted her eyes in a confused and amused smile, and Sanji ran up the stairs to the second floor.

***

Sanji was so fucking happy. The second floor was _amazing_. It was kind of the same as the first floor, but it was amazing anyway. His luck didn’t get any better during the following hour, but he just kept laughing every time the roulette stopped at a color he didn’t pick, and he just let out a disappointed “ _awwww!”._

“Looks like your luck has shifted, huh.” 

He looked up to that low voice, and Zoro was showing him a half smile.

Sanji gasped, and his jaw went slack. “ZORO! Thank god you showed up!” He broadly smiled, standing up to hug him tightly. _God, how come he still smells so good?_

He didn’t know why he did that exactly, but it didn’t matter. He was so fucking happy.

Zoro was completely still, dumbfound.

“Why are you so tense? Hey, come sit with me!” Sanji held Zoro’s hand, pulling him to the table.

“Uhm, how much did you drink since I last saw you?” Zoro’s face was oddly a little redder than Sanji remembered.

“What? Not much!” Sanji almost missed the seat, but recomposed himself and sat straight on the chair.

“I can see that.” Zoro took a seat beside him, suppressing a smile.

“Look!” Sanji showed him the small screen on his wrist den den mushi. “I still have like thirty berries! Cool right? I can play a few more rounds here!”

“Jesus, _thirty?_ Didn’t you have like a hundred and fifty when we came here?”

“Yeah, yeah, but that’s fine! It’s totally fine! I’m gonna win it all back now, see. You’re my lucky charm.”

Zoro was definitely redder now. _Has he always been this red?_

“Well, you’d better get it back, cause I ain’t giving you any of my share. No splitting, right?” Zoro showed him the number 700 on his den den mushi’s screen.

“Oh. My. God.” Sanji took Zoro’s wrist on his hands. “WE’RE RICH! OH MY GOD! ZORO, WE’RE TOTALLY RICH!”

Zoro creased his forehead, but let out a chuckle. “We’re not rich, dumbass. And I said we’re not splitting it.”

“Oh, come on, Zoro! I was just kidding!”

“Heeey! I see you’ve found your friend, huh!” Mei walked to the table, offering more drinks. “Do you want anything, my dears?”

“Oh! Zoro! You don’t have a drink! I’m gonna take one for you, so you can see how _nice_ it is to share things.” Sanji waited until Mei marked the debit, but she seemed to be a little confused for some reason. “Uhm, thanks!” he added, when she appeared to be waiting for something. “So, where have you been, Zoro? I’ve been looking for you.” He handed him the glass of sake, and kept another to himself.

Zoro was just looking between Sanji and Mei, his mouth slightly agape. Then she left.

Sanji snapped a finger at Zoro’s face. “Hey! I’m talking to you! You’re acting so weird, Zoro. Where have you been?”

Zoro snickered lightly through his nose and sighed, taking a sip of his sake. “I was betting, winning those seven hundred berries you just saw.”

Sanji almost choked on his drink. “WHAT? SEVEN HUNDRED BERRIES? ARE YOU SERIOUS?”

Zoro chuckled. “Are you a fucking kid? I just told you that.”

“Oh, man! We’ve got to bet all this! We’re gonna earn so much money!” Sanji jumped up, holding Zoro’s hand. “Come on!”

Sanji dragged Zoro around, until he decided the best game to bet on, and only then he let go of Zoro’s grasp.

“Remind me not to let you drink like that again.” Zoro said, but his lips curved into a soft smile.

***

“ _Zorooo_ , I’m not leaving yet!” Sanji whined.

Zoro took the money from the cashier, after returning their den den mushi.

“Let’s go.” Zoro pulled him by the arm towards the exit of the casino, but Sanji yanked himself from his grip.

“Nooo… why do you want to leave?”

“Because this place is closing in twenty minutes. And because you’ve lost everything I earned and we got a total of one hundredberries, which is much less than the three hundred we had when we got here. And because you’re wasted as fuck.” Zoro tried to drag him outside, but Sanji pushed him away.

“Leave me alone, I can walk for myself, okay? And I’m not wast–” Sanji tripped over something, and Zoro caught him before he fell forwards.

“Here, lean on me,” Zoro held him sideways, moving Sanji’s arm over his shoulders.

“I don’t need your help, stupid marimo.” Sanji said, but he let his weight relax a bit on Zoro’s support, as they walked to their cottage.

“You went from bubbly drunk to grumpy drunk pretty fast, huh.” 

“I’m not… _that_ drunk.”

They walked together through the remainders of the festival, now peaceful and quiet at this hour, the moon being the only source of light on the deserted streets.

“I didn’t want to leave yet.” Sanji grouched.

“And why is that, cook? Didn’t get to make out with that bartender girl?”

“What girl?” Sanji scoffed.

Zoro’s silence made Sanji look at him from over his arm, still leaning over his shoulder. He couldn’t make sense of what he was thinking.

“You’re weird today, Zoro. Can’t we walk a little faster?” Sanji yawned and leaned his head on his own arm, adjusting himself under Zoro’s jaw.

“You ask me that, but you’re basically making me carry you.”

“That would be nice.” Sanji’s eyes were getting heavier, and Zoro’s warmth was oddly comfortable.

“Oh, now we’re sleepy drunk. Hey, don’t doze on me now, cook. We’re getting there soon.”

Sanji barely noticed their surroundings, as he spent the rest of the walk forcing himself to move his legs and stay awake. But keeping his eyes open was an impossible task.

Soon enough, Zoro stopped walking. “We’re here.”

Sanji felt himself being dragged through a door.

“Come on, cook. You can let go of me now.”

Sanji was feeling so warm. Zoro was indeed very strong, wasn’t he? He leaned his head a little closer to Zoro’s chest.

“Hey, cook! We’re home! You can go lay down now.” Zoro delicately tried to push him away.

Sanji slid his arm down from Zoro’s shoulders, but only to adjust his head on Zoro’s neck, crossing his arms around his waist.

So warm. So fitting. He could stand like this all night long, smelling that sweet and strong scent. He took a deep breath, taking in more of Zoro’s perfume.

_ Why is Zoro so frozen? It would be better if he crossed his arms around me as well. _

“Uhm… what… what are you doing?”

Sanji slightly rubbed his face on Zoro’s neck, breathing in and squeezing him a little tighter. “God, you’re still smelling so fucking good.” Sanji slowly let go of Zoro, barely noticing his vacant gawk. “I think I’m going to sleep now, okay? Good night, Zoro.”

Sanji turned around and managed to get to the double bed, dropping down at once.

“Hey! No, not on the bed! It’s my turn to sleep there!”

_ Thank god for this bed. Where did it come from? Why is Zoro shaking me? He’s making everything spin around… _

“Hey, shitty cook! Get to the couch! It’s my turn!”

_ So loud. Why is everything spinning? _

But he was so comfortable. _Thank god for this bed. This is so nice._

Sanji heard a sigh, then felt his shoes being taken off, and… _a blanket! This is so cozy._

Everything was so warm and quiet, except for those steps sounds getting away.

Soon, he got used to his dizziness, and he fell into an utterly peaceful sleep.


	7. Feeling

Sanji woke up feeling like he had rolled down a mountain, then got smashed in the head by a giant boulder. He dared to open his eyes and look around. _Too bright._ He squinted his eyes, barely making sense of his roundabouts. Or discerning left from right, really.

“Morning, sunshine,” said Zoro, from the dinner table.

“Zoro? Can you shut those damn curtains, please?” Sanji said in a broken gruff voice.

He did as he was asked. “Want some breakfast?”

“Huh? Did you cook something?” Sanji frowned while trying to make out Zoro’s figure.

“Of course not. The festival’s begun again and I went looking for something we could eat. There’s some bread, fruits and coffee.”

_ Thank god. _ There’s no chance he could cook in that state. 

Sanji sat up straight. “To think that this moss brain could do nice things.”

“I’m not being nice. I had to eat while your drunk ass was out.”

Sanji tittered and got off the bed, feeling a little giddy. “Thanks anyway. What happened last night? I haven’t seen you in a while.” He sat by the table, grabbing his iridescent knife and cutting an apple in half.

Zoro’s jaw went slack. “You don’t remember anything? Not even losing all my money?”

“Huh? We lost money?” Sanji said while eating the apple.

“No, we still got away with a hundred berries. But we had much more than that.”

“Fuck, I can’t remember anything. What else happened?”

“Nothing much. You were being more of a pain in the ass than usual. I had to help you walk all the way here.” Zoro paused for a moment, smirking. “And apparently you liked how I smelled.”

Sanji absolutely froze, all the color draining out of his face. _Shit. Shiiit. What the fuck did I say to him?_

“And you made me sleep on the couch again.”

“Shit. That’s right. I’m sorry,” Sanji lightly palmed his own forehead, but the corners of Zoro’s mouth were turned up.

“But the worst part is… we didn’t even find our next notes.”

“We didn’t? I was so sure the last one was talking about the casino!”

“Yeah, but we didn’t really look, did we? I was busy babysitting you.”

“Ok, marimo. Cut the crap. I already apologized. Do you think we need to go there again today?”

“If you promise you won’t drink that much...” Zoro stood up and headed to the door.

“Where are you going now?”

“I think I’m gonna take a look at that lake. It’s freaking hot today,” Zoro opened the door, hands akimbo while taking in the heat of the light breeze, staring outside.

“Hm? Okay then. I’m doing our laundry.”

Zoro let out a confused chuckle. “Why would you do laundry of all things?”

“I don’t know what you think I said to you yesterday, but I bet that robe of yours isn’t smelling that good. Especially that disgusting haramaki. And now that we know there are still two challenges to go, god knows when we’re leaving here. I think we should look presentable when we see Nami-san and Robin-chan again, don’t you? And we’re running out of clean clothes.”

“I obviously couldn’t care less about what Nami and Robin think of my clothes. But fine, if you want to…” Zoro removed the knot tied up on his waist, opening his robe. He slid off the sleeves, and the cloth slipped to the floor. He pulled up his haramaki, running it up his torso, until he took it from over his head, messing a little with his hair. He undid his pants’ zipper, bending down as he lowered them to his feet.

“Hey!” Sanji gasped as Zoro removed his pants completely, his heart racing wild.

“What? You asked it!” He placed the pile of clothes on the bed, next to his katanas, and was again walking to the door, on his underpants.

“Yeah, but…” Sanji threw a towel at him, “cover up yourself before you go, marimo. You’ll disrespect the ladies.”

“What ladies? Nobody comes this far down the hill besides us. But ok, whatever.” Zoro wrapped the towel on his hips. “You’re joining me?”

“Huh? I don’t know. Maybe. Do you want me to? I mean, do you want to be alone? I’m still doing laundry, but if you want to be alone, that’s fine!”

_ What the fuck was that? _

Zoro laughed. “Geez, cook, are you still drunk? You could use some cold water in your head for that hangover, you know,” he smirked, leaving the cottage and closing the door.

Sanji remained seated by the table, absentmindedly playing with his knife. His heart was still as fast as a hummingbird’s, but this time he couldn’t blame Zoro’s perfume. _Again, what the fuck was that?_

Sanji sighed and stripped off his own clothes, then wrapped a towel over his underwear. He took the dirty clothes to the old washing tank, a lit-up cigarette clenched between his teeth.

When he finished hanging all the wet and clean apparel on the clothesline, he realized that, for the first time, he had absolutely nothing else to do. Nothing in those riddles made him think of anywhere else but the casino, so they just had to wait until the place was open once again.

He stared at the suspended clothes, specifically at a certain green robe. He inhaled deeply on his cigarette. _What the hell is going on with me?_ Being without Zoro somehow felt a little… odd. He was getting comfortable in his company for a change. Even if he was a stupid green moss, at least it was better than being alone.

Sanji stepped on his cigarette and immediately turned away from the cottage, suddenly feeling an urge to be at the lake too.

The direct sun light gave him an immediate headache. _I really shouldn’t have drunk that much yesterday._ He walked all the way down the hill, the lake still being partially covered by the bushes and rocks scattered on the way.

A few trees continued down the hill, beyond the small lake. Zoro’s towel was hanging on a tree branch, and Sanji placed his own towel next to it. 

Zoro was seated inside the water, resting his arms on the rocks surrounding the lake. His head was leaning backwards, his closed eyes implying he hadn’t noticed Sanji’s arrival. The sunlight reflected on Zoro’s wet and tanned skin, droplets of water running down his naked torso. His soaked hair was pushed back, the green tone matching perfectly with the landscape around him.

Sanji’s heart was beating even faster than it was earlier. _Why the fuck am I gawking at him like this?_ Yet he couldn’t look away.

The water at his feet felt a little cold, but perfect for a day like this. The sound of Sanji’s steps into the water made Zoro open his unwounded eye, and he didn’t seem surprised. That same eye was now slowly studying Sanji’s almost naked form as he approached him. 

_ Okay. Calm down. It’s just Zoro. _

“All clean. Mind if I joined you?” he asked, alreadysettling himself beside the other man.

“Sure,” Zoro responded.

“The water is nice, huh?” Sanji was trying pretty damn hard to act as normal as he could, but being that polite to Zoro definitely wasn’t a good start.

Zoro just stared at him, as Sanji tried to adjust himself between the rocks at the bottom of the lake. 

“Nice spot you found here,” Sanji half-smiled.

“Yeah.” Zoro was still looking at his movements.

_ We’re very talkative all of a sudden, aren’t we? _

The sun was still blazing over their heads, so Sanji took a moment to dip into the water to soften his headache. He emerged right after, eyes still shut, running his hand through his dripping hair and trying to move it back, away from his face. When he wiped his eyes, he found that Zoro was still fixedly looking at him.

“Why are you staring at me like this, marimo?” Sanji said, pretending he himself wasn’t studying every inch of the man’s glowing skin.

Zoro smirked softly and the seconds of silence were killing Sanji.

“Your mustache… is ridiculous.” He finally said.

_ That fucking bastard. _

_ “What did you say?” _

“That mustache you’ve grown on the two years we were apart.”

“Yeah? And how did you get that scar on your eye, getting lost?”

To Sanji’s surprise, Zoro chuckled.

“And your hair got longer,” Zoro said, brushing the tip of Sanji’s hair at his nape.

The touch of Zoro’s fingers sent shivers all over his body, and he really hoped the man hadn’t noticed it. Zoro nonchalantly kept playing with his locks, his gaze fixated on his own movements. “Yours got longer too,” Sanji said, after a moment.

_ Why is he doing this? _ For some reason, Sanji didn’t want him to stop. 

Zoro looked away from his own hands to gaze into his eyes. Sanji sustained the look, his brows slightly furrowed, and his mouth gaping a little from the wait. 

The man showed him a lopsided grin. “And your brow is backwards.”

Sanji snorted and rolled his eyes, throwing a handful of water at him. “Look somewhere else if it bothers you.”

Zoro chuckled once again, wiping his face. But there was something almost… _endearing_ in the way he laughed. “Everybody has changed a little,” he said, after a moment.

“Yeah,” Sanji caught himself half-smiling, seeing Zoro’s amusement, “except for Brook.”

Zoro tittered through his nose. “Yeah, Luffy and Chopper haven’t changed that much either, but everybody is stronger, for sure.”

“And my delicate flowers have bloomed, of course!”

Zoro’s smile faded a little. “Their hair is longer, yeah. And Nami is wearing even less clothes.”

“Not just that! They have a more mature beauty now, and their bodies–” Sanji stopped talking, as Zoro took a deep breath and slightly moved in his place.

“Didn’t notice that.”

_ How could anyone not notice Nami and Robin? They’re practically goddesses! _

Sanji shot a quick glance at him, before deciding to speak his mind. “Uhm… why do you get all weird when I talk about the girls?”

“I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

Zoro gazed at him for a moment before answering. “It’s not just these girls. It’s all fucking girls. It just pisses me off the way you treat women.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Sanji narrowed his eyes, skeptically shaking his head.

“You fucking idolize them. All the goddamn time. And that girl at the fight was right, you know? You treat them as if they were less than you.”

“ _Less_ than me? Are you nuts? If anything, I treat them as if they were so much more than me. And they are, really.”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about. You treat them _differently_. You act like you’re somebody else when you’re near a girl. It makes no fucking sense. And if you want to date anyone, it should be someone you see as an equal!”

That last sentence resonated in Sanji’s head, but he ignored it. “Wow, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know I was talking to such an experienced romantic guy!”

“Oh, so if I’m not betrothed to a beautiful Yonko’s daughter I don’t get to date anyone in my life?” Zoro glowered defiantly.

Sanji let the words sink in, scowling at Zoro. The man softened his expression, perhaps realizing he had gone too far. “You know that was arranged. I never intended to marry her.”

Zoro looked away. “Hum. It’s none of my business, anyway.”

Deadly silence fell between them, as Sanji absently ran his fingers through a mossy rock beside him. Then he immersed himself further down the chilly water, leaning his head against the margin.

“I really thought you were leaving the crew, you know,” Zoro added, almost to himself.

Sanji didn’t respond, and just kept staring at the sky, now that the sun was hiding behind a cloud. He did not want to talk about the events of Whole Cake Island, or his damn family, or that marriage. Not even the sweet Pudding-chan.

He took a deep breath, deciding to finally sit straight and change the subject. “So, you’re telling me that even this brute marimo has been in a relationship, and I haven’t.”

“I haven’t either.”

“You haven’t? Why not?”

“I told you already. I don’t have time for it,” Zoro seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

“But… you _do_ want to, right?”

“To what?”

“To date a girl?”

_ “What? _ And what is _that_ supposed to mean?” he said, a lot louder than Sanji would expect.

“Huh? Why are you overreacting? I just asked if–” Sanji stopped mid-sentence, realization coming right through him. “You– _Oh…”_

Sanji gawked at him, trying to decipher the weird mixture of panic and rage in Zoro’s expression. 

“You’re not…” _shit, this is hard,_ “a-are you into girls _at all?”_

“You know,” Zoro snapped, “just because I don’t drool or throw myself over their feet it doesn’t mean I don’t like them! Usopp and Franky don’t need to act all stupid like you do!”

Sanji studied the man’s reddened face and heavy breaths, glaring right at him. He never would’ve thought that Zoro was… _well…_ but it was all starting to make sense now. 

“No, I mean… it’s okay if you aren’t, I’m not– I’m just–”

“What about _you?”_ Zoro elevated his voice.

“ _W-what?_ What _about_ me?” Sanji blinked rapidly, taken aback.

“You just keep forcing yourself, calling attention to how much of a straight guy you are. You need to remind the world all the fucking time that you like girls. But _do you really?”_

Sanji remained speechless, gaping at Zoro. _“Wha–?_ I– I don–” he stuttered, “You can like it both ways, you know?”

Sanji’s own stomach dropped at what he had just said out loud. 

“I… I mean,” he continued, his breath shaking, “it’s obviously not my case, but you can!”

_ …Isn’t it? _

Zoro slowly eased his expression, gradually closing it up to a completely austere _blank_. It was much worse than the anger he had just showed.

“Ok, then,” Zoro stood up, “I won’t tell anyone your little secret, _ladies’ man_.” He walked out of the lake, and Sanji couldn’t stand that rigid expression of his. He didn’t know why. He wanted to stand up and run towards Zoro, and apologize for whatever he had said, and… do _something_. 

But he remained locked in his place, watching as his crewmate wrapped himself in his towel and walked away, leaving Sanji with only his racing thoughts to keep him company.


	8. Shock

Sanji washed himself and put on the last pieces of dry clothes he had. Zoro wasn’t at the cottage, but his towel was hanging in the bathroom, and his bag lied open on the bed. 

Sanji decided to take a walk at the festival, to try to clear his head from that fucking conversation.

_ Why.  _

_ The fuck.  _

_ Did I say that. _

This island was getting on his nerves. He let out a deep sigh and lighted a cigarette, rather clumsily.

He liked women. This fact was undeniably true. He always has. They were delicate, and beautiful, and soft, and elegant, and cute, and hot, and an endless multitude of compliments.

_ But… _

Sanji reached the festival, and was now wandering through the stands. He shook his head, trying to drive away the thoughts forming at the back of his mind.

Today they had set up a kind of stage in the middle of the square, where a man sang and played a soft song on his guitar. The smell of something sweet was coming from the food stands, and the place seemed even more crowded and cheerful than before. Some kids were running after a fleeing balloon, and – _why was Zoro so mad at me?_

He gave up trying to think of anything else. _Seriously, why did I say that?_

_ Ok. _ It’s not like he has never found men attractive in his life, but… was he really _attracted_ to them?Sanji looked around inattentively, perhaps unconsciously examining the men on the square.

And one of them stared back at him. No, maybe _leered_ is the right word.

Oscar, the employee he had met at the tournament, was working at the food stands. He smiled with satisfaction when Sanji approached him.

“Hello, jock champion.”

“Hi,” Sanji lightly smiled, examining the food on display. Apple pies, vanilla cupcakes, brownies and some dessert made of chocolate and strawberries, all looking and smelling delicious. “Did you make these?”

“Yep. All of them,” Oscar was studying Sanji, leaning on the counter. He kept his mischievous smile, apparently enjoying his time. His teeth were very white and even, contrasting perfectly with his dark skin and hazel eyes. His tank top was tight around his lean but brawny torso.

_ Ok. I find this man attractive. I can live with this. _

“So you cook too, besides stripping men’s clothes?” Sanji asked, but quickly caught himself, realizing too late it might have sounded like a… _flirt?_

Oscar’s mouth gaped a little, then he simpered widely at Sanji. “Oh yeah. I can do both things pretty well.”

_ Damn it. Okay.  _

Sanji tittered, his face warming up a little. He proceeded to buying the chocolate dessert.

“So, where is that hot friend of yours today?” the man asked with a suggestive grin.

_ Zoro.  _

Fuck Zoro. And his fucking chest. And his goddamn smell. And his abs, and jaw, and hair, and earrings, and arms, and eyes, and back, and legs.

_ Zoro… yeah… one could say he is a hot friend of mine. _

“He’s… nearby, I think,” Sanji looked around. “Maybe I should go look for him now.”

Oscar kept his smug expression, but his eyes had a visible glimpse of disappointment. “Ok then, cutie!”

They shared a parting smile, and Sanji turned away.

He went back to his amble through the festival, eating half the dessert he had bought. When he closed the packaging and saved the rest for later, a differentsong being played on the stage caught his attention.

A short bald man was graciously playing some kind of flute, and people started to gather around the stage. 

A wave of applause was raised when the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen climbed up alongside the man. She had a long curly black hair and tanned skin, and was wearing a purple outfit, made of a kind of flowing cloth around her waist. A small top covered only her chest, little stones incrusting the fabric, and pendants reached the center of her stomach, right before her pierced navel.

She was belly dancing alongside the sweet music, hypnotizing everyone around, especially Sanji. How could he not like women? That form, that shape, those movements! He suddenly felt like he would do anything just to spoil and please that woman, till the end of his days.

A little voice inside his head remembered what Zoro had said about humiliating himself to women, but he shoved it away.

A younger man wearing a long black ponytail got up the stage. He took a den den mushi speaker and made an announcement, while the performance went on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, liking what you see here today? Well, then don’t miss the opportunity of seeing our beautifulMiss Marika in her presentation tonight! That’s right! Only at the Moonlight Lounge! It’s impossible not to get addicted to this irresistible beauty!”

_ Addicted...  _ The word echoed inside Sanji’s mind, but he couldn’t remember why.

“You know that’s where you can find the best range of cocktails, beer and wine of the island! We have a special load of cigars, hookahs, flavored cigarettes, and…” the man made a dramatic pause, smirking, “everything you set your mind to,” he winked, and some of the people around Sanji chuckled a little. “Come and taste for yourselves!”

_ Come and taste for–  _ Then he realized. 

He re-ran the man’s speech in his head. _Cigarettes?_

Sanji remembered something written on his last message, and quickly took it in his hands.

_ Now is the time to encounter your addictions…  _

Had they misunderstood this sentence?

_ …And to taste yourself the price of your convictions… _

_ Oh god. It’s not talking about the casino is it? It’s talking about  _ our _fucking addictions._

Cigarettes and alcohol.

Come to think of it, it has always been about the things they like the most, hasn’t it?

Sanji stared at the cigarette in his hand. Zoro was right. There really could have been something in those drinks yesterday.

There was something very fucking wrong with this island. _Is the silver lady involved in this? How can she know what we like? Our weaknesses? And now our addictions? Hell, she even knew Zoro’s full name! And she claims to know what the treasure we need the most is?_

The three of them got down from the stage with another round of vigorous applause, and a new musician climbed the platform to play the violin.

Nearby, employees of some kind waited around a pile of red wooden cargo crates. The man with the ponytail started talking to them, and Sanji noticed they wore the same uniform, with that same damn crescent moon symbol. Sanji was starting to get annoyed with the sight.

The man was looking at a clipboard, ordering them around and looking nothing like the lively guy that was up the stage just now.

Sanji approached him. “Excuse me sir, where is this lounge exactly?”

The man stared at him from top to bottom, with a strange look of recognition and annoyance on his face. “It’s, um, on the third street to the left,” he pointed.

Sanji thanked the man, but he had already turned back to the other employees.

“Come, we should be at the beach already. This cargo is due to ten minutes from now.”

They proceeded to carrying the red wooden crates on top of platform trolleys, towards the direction the man had pointed to.

_ So there’s a dock here, huh? It means we have a way out. This island can’t be too far from where Sunny is. _

Sanji sneaked behind the men, following them all the way down the streets.

“You shouldn’t have made that joke up there, you know,” one of the employees turned to the man with the clipboard.

“Yeah? Why not?” 

“Those two outsiders Maya brought here might suspect something.”

“Oh, come on. They couldn’t care less. I talked to the blondie just now. They don’t know anything.”

_ Interesting. _

At some point, they deviated from the pavemented road, and walked along an opening through palm trees. According to the sound of the ocean nearby, they would reach the beach at any moment.

Sanji waited behind the trees to give them a lead, now that it would be a little harder to sneak behind them. Their voices were getting further and further, and Sanji waited a little longer. 

But then, the conversation abruptly stopped. No other sound could be heard, besides the crushing of the waves ahead.

He took a few careful steps forward, only to find the shore completely empty.

No men. No crates. No trolleys.

_ No dock. _

But Sanji could swear he saw a tiny hint of a purple flare near the water, before it disappeared from his sight.

***

Sanji smoked all the way back to the festival, his mind racing wild. 

A certain green-haired man was resting on a bench next to the Ferris wheel, his hands on the back of his head. Zoro noticed his approaching steps, and they locked their eyes.

And suddenly his mind wasn’t the only thing racing wild.

“Where have you been?” Sanji asked.

“Where have _you_ been?”

Sanji took a seat beside Zoro, ignoring the awkwardness that still lingered between them, and told him all about the uniformed men and his discovery on the taste challenge.

“Moonlight Lounge, huh? You said the symbols were all a crescent moon and a circle, maybe _that’s_ the source of it all,” Zoro said.

_ Fuck. I didn’t think of this before. _

“Maybe,” Sanji let out the smoke. “You think we should go there tonight?” 

“Yeah, at least to see what all of this is about,” Zoro stretched himself. “Uhm, have you cooked anything for lunch? I’m starving.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Sanji opened his bag and took out a small plastic box, “I’ve only got this half-eaten chocolate dessert.”

“That will do. Thanks,” Zoro started eating the dessert. “So, you think we’re being watched or something?”

“Probably. I don’t know, this place is so weird… I hope everyone else is okay…”

Zoro furrowed his brows and pointed at the dessert with the plastic fork in his hand, “Why did you buy this thing? I bet you didn’t think about the taste task before doing it.”

_ …I’m so damn stupid. Fuck. _

Zoro must have noticed his widened eyes, because he tittered a little. “Dammit, cook. Got distracted with some girl?”

_ Something like that. _

“Where did you buy this, by the way? It’s not _that_ good.” Zoro slightly grimaced.

“How do you know I haven’t made it myself?”

_ “Seriously? _ Please. I know your food.”

Sanji inhaled on his cigarette, but couldn’t hide the soft satisfied grin on his face.

Zoro finished eating and stood up, throwing away the package. “Let’s go, then.”

“Huh? _Now?_ The lounge is definitely closed at this hour.”

“We don’t need to go inside. I just wanna check it out.”

They proceeded through the path Sanji walked before, but continued to the third street to the left, as the man had explained.

From the distance, they could already see the huge signboard with a crescent moon and a circle above the words _Moonlight Lounge._

The locked doors and absence of people on that street confirmed their earlier suspicion. A sign at the entrance read the opening time; still five hours from now.

The boys noticed a narrow alley between two buildings, so they sneaked in to inspect the back entrance. They came across some wooden crates at the end of the passage, just like the ones Sanji had seen earlier. Even at that time of the day, the unlit alley’s roof made it look completely dim, but they could see enough to distinguish the dusky blue color of the crates.

“Blue. The ones I saw earlier were red,” Sanji remarked, intrigued.

They stepped out of the dim alley, only to find that the back door was locked as well. As tempting as it was to kick it or cut it down, they decided to return to the alley to examine the crates.

“This is pointless. There’s nothing here. We should come back later tonight.” Sanji said, but Zoro was already using one of his swords as leverage, trying to open one of the blue crates. “Hey!”

“They said we might suspect something, right? Well I’m definitely suspicious of these.”

Zoro managed to open some of them. Inside, there was nothing but food, drinks and packs of cigarettes, an apparently typical cargo for a lounge like this.

“See?” Sanji said, as Zoro tried to leave the crates exactly as they had found, “I told you this was pointless. Can we go back n–” 

It happened so fast Sanji barely got the time to react. Zoro raced towards him and pressed their bodies together against the wall, on the shady side of the alley. He covered Sanji’s mouth with his hand to stop him from making any sound.

Steps and voices were coming from outside the passage, towards the back entrance.

“…earlier today. West Blue’s negotiation did not go that well, those bastards…”

Zoro stood absolutely still, trying to overhear the conversation while hiding them both in the dark. 

Sanji, on the other hand, was deafened by the sound of his own heartbeat against his ears. He had never been this close to Zoro before. Every inch of their torso was not only touching, but being pressed together. Sanji was starting to have a hard time breathing, overly conscious of every rapid move of his lungs, forcing his body to be even more aware of Zoro’s.

“…yeah but Maya needs to stop bringing random people inside…”

Zoro carefully turned his head to Sanji and took his hand out of his mouth, lifting a finger on his own lips and making a small _shush_ sound. Then, he grabbed one of his sword’s hilt, as a tiger waiting on its prey.

That didn’t help Sanji’s situation at all. Zoro’s puffs of airwere now warm against his neck, and his own breathing was getting heavier than before. Zoro’s smell overwhelmed his senses even more, only this time it was not perfume. It smelled like… _Zoro_. A familiar scent of steel, and sweat, and alcohol, and _Zoro_. And by god, it was a hundred times better than perfume.

“…getting a little nosy, those two…”

At that point, Sanji doubted Zoro wasn’t aware of his racing heart against the man’s chest. He tried to lightly push him away, but he wasn’t even sure that he really wanted it.

“Zoro,” Sanji managed to whisper, “what the hell is going on?” 

Zoro placed his head over Sanji’s shoulder, and their cheeks touched. “Be quiet,” Zoro said in his deep gruff voice, right at his ear.

At that instant, Sanji’s whole body shivered from head to toe, and he squeezed his eyes shut. All of the senses, the smells, every little bit of their touching skins, that fucking gruff voice, all came flooding at once. He was almost losing his grip on reality – until something made him come back from the frenzy.

Something that he could not pretend didn’t happen. Something that was obviously bulging on his jeans. Something that _very soon_ would be noticed by Zoro if he didn’t move.

Sanji shoved the man, who was taken aback by the sudden action. The two employees were startled by the noise they made, and quickly dispersed back to wherever they came from, leaving the boys alone. 

Sanji was pacing back and forth on the dimly lit alley, awkwardly trying to light a cigarette.

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. _

“What the hell are you doing?” Zoroasked, “I told you to be quiet! I couldn’t hear the rest of it!”

Sanji couldn’t stand still. He inhaled deeply into the cigarette, hoping the nicotine or his hurried steps would calm _everything_ down. 

Okay. Something was _definitely_ going on.

_ I am hard. For a man. For Zoro.  _ He was profoundly thankful for the absence of light at that alley.

“Cook, what’s the matter with you?”

Sanji’s mind was running riot, a lot more than it had been in the past few days. But for the time being, he _desperately_ needed to find a way to soothe himself.

He stopped walking and smoked one more time, letting go of the tension on his shoulders. “I… I’m okay. Sorry about that. What were they talking about? I didn’t get to hear it.”

“I think they were talking about us. There’s something in that lounge they wouldn’t like _the outsiders_ to see.”

Sanji felt like leaving the alley, at last. He’d really rather shove himself inside a hole in the ground and never leave again, but they started walking back to the cottage.

“I don’t like this,” Zoro said. “That witch is up to something. We need to come back here later.”

Sanji just smoked and nodded, barely paying attention.

“But we can’t risk consuming anything there,” Zoro continued. “I brought a sealed bottle of sake from the casino yesterday. I think I’ll take it. You can bring your sealed box of cigarettes too.”

“Yeah. Good point.” Sanji mumbled.

Zoro took a good look at him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

_ Why wouldn’t I be? My whole life has been a fucking lie, that’s all.  _

He wasn’t just _not_ a ladies’ man anymore. And he wasn’t just _not_ disgusted by that fucking brute and inelegant seaweed of a man.

Sanji had a huge, massive, overwhelming, undeniable crush on Zoro.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”


	9. Taste

“Ready?” asked Zoro. His hair was still damp from the shower, and he was wearing his recently washed pants, haramaki and shirt, that he left completely unbuttoned, of course. 

Sanji took a deep smoke while he stood near the cottage door, also washed up and ready to leave. Cooking the dinner had really calmed his nerves – at least he was managing to behave like a normal human being around Zoro.

“Where do you think you’re going with these swords?” Sanji lifted his chin on a quick movement, looking at the katanas tied around Zoro’s waist.

“Oh come on. I’m not leaving them here again.”

“Yes, you are. They call too much attention.”

“No way. I feel almost naked if I don’t have any blades with me. And I sense we’ll be needing them this time.”

Sanji leaned on the counter, smoking one more time. He sighed as he glanced at the kitchen sink.

“Well, you wanna take my knife instead?”

Zoro raised his brows, his smile gaping a little at Sanji. “Are you seriously offering me your precious cooking knife? To use as a _weapon?”_

“Don’t flatter yourself, marimo. It’s just so that you feel less of a useless swordsman,” Sanji held the cigarette between his fingers while he inhaled, but his smirk was very much visible.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, but his mouth was curved on a grin. “Useless, you say?” he placed his katanas on the floor, leaning them upright against the wall, “Fine. I’ll take it if it makes you feel a little safer.”

“Excuse me?” Sanji sneered, “I’m just doing you a favor. But I can still protect you if you’d prefer, marimo-kun.”

The man tittered as he hid Sanji’s sheathed knife in his pocket, as well as his small sealed bottle of sake inside his haramaki. “You’re talking so big for someone who’s been saved twice already.”

Zoro opened the door, handing Sanji his sealed pack of cigarettes. The scent of freshly washed apparel and the fragrance of Zoro’s hair came right to Sanji when he came closer. 

_ God dammit. Ok, keep it cool. _

“See? I told you it wouldn’t do any harm to wash your clothes sometimes.” Sanji said, forgetting to properly reply to Zoro’s mockery. They left the cottage, locking the door behind them.

“Oh, so now you’re saying I usually smell bad? That’s not what yousaid to me yesterday.” Zoro smirked broadly. 

Sanji felt his cheeks getting warm. “Shut up about this already. I was drunk.”

“Oh yes you were. By the way, if you get that drunk again today, I’m not carrying you back.” 

They walked towards the bar, already hearing the loud music of the festival from far away. The night sky was clear of any clouds, leaving room for the moon to glow at its will. 

“Or… _do_ get drunk,” Zoro continued, “I like it when you show your real self.” He turned to Sanji with his teasing smile.

And Sanji observed that smile for what it seemed like the first time. The way his mouth was lifting at just one side, the way he could stare at Sanji like that even in the darkness of the night, the way he had said those words…

That smug face of his was usually enough to piss him off. Now he was pissed off that he could not even look at Zoro without thinking about how fucking gorgeous that man was. 

“Fuck you,” Sanji said, but his lips pursed into a contained smirk.

They walked a couple more minutes through those crowded streets, repeating the path they had made earlier. The _Moonlight Lounge_ sign was now glowing with a purple neon light, and a soft and elegant instrumental song was coming from inside. The boys moved the entrance’s black curtain and stepped into the lounge. 

The place was very dark, but the neon lights made everything – and everyone – look entirely purple. The smoke from the hookahs on top of large round tables was leaving through tall frameless windows, but it was enough to spread the sweet fruity scent to the room. They agreed to take a table for two, far away from the main stage, so they could leave in the middle of the belly dancer’s presentation and sneak around the lounge.

All around them there were Chesterfield sofas, futons, quilted pouffes, round paper lanterns, all sending an impression of a luxurious but laid-back ambient. The atmosphere was intoxicating on its own, almost inviting Sanji to take a sip of those colorful drinks.

There was something almost lustful in that environment; some of the customers were just laughing, drinking or smoking, but some of them were spread in couples across the room, gazing into each other, flirting, caressing, or even straight up making out.

Sanji opened his new box of cigarettes and deeply smoked, leaning back on his chair and glancing at Zoro.

And Zoro locked his eye on Sanji’s. They stared deeply at each other, their eyes never averting. They didn’t smile, or even changed their expression, or seemed embarrassed in any way. They simply didn’t feel like looking at anywhere else. 

Sanji’s heart was beating fast, but this time it was for a whole new reason. He inhaled and let the smoke slowly slip out of his mouth, as Zoro watched attentively. His chest tightened as the tension between them increased, the air around them feeling heavier at each second. 

A waiter approached the table, finally forcing them to look elsewhere. Zoro just asked for an empty glass and, when the man left, he unsealed his bottle of sake, taking a large gulp. 

Shortly after, the big show of the night was announced. The lights were softened, and a purple spotlight dominated the stage, moving slowly, according to the smooth sound of the flutes and bongo drums. 

The belly dancer made her entrance, now with an even more adorned outfit. Her moves were in perfect synchrony with the instruments, and the whole room stopped to watch.

Sanji stared at her while smoking. She reminded him a little of Viola-chan, and the first time he had met her, dancing on the streets of Dressrosa. Viola had been absolutely enchanting, hadn’t she? And she was the first one that seemed to like him back. And… maybe Pudding-chan as well? But he didn’t get to fall in love with either of them, did he? He didn’t even know what falling in love really meant. 

He exhaled a large amount of the smoke, sighing.

And what about this new crush of his? Well, he was fucked, of course. It didn’t matter if Zoro liked men or not, he would never like him back…

_ …Wouldn’t he? I mean, it’s not like he doesn’t stare at me all the time…  _

But Sanji couldn’t let himself be hopeful or anything. Hell, what would he do if Zoro had a crush on him too? Would Sanji have the guts to make a move? Well, it’s not like he hasn’t pictured it once or twice… or maybe more… but… _argh…_ it was all too new for him.

_ New… yeah, right. _

The truth is he has always admired Zoro. _A lot._ His strong sense of self, his aura of leadership, and at the same time his unshakeable loyalty to Luffy, his determination, the passion on pursuing his dreams, the way he was so protective of his nakama, his caring for Chopper, his fighting skills, the way they always seemed to read each other’s minds when they teamed up…

“Wow,” Zoro was staring directly at Sanji, who jumped on his seat, suddenly pulled away from his thoughts.

_ “What?” _ he asked, visibly tense. _Did he really read my mind or something?_

“A whole lot of minutes passed and you still haven’t said anything about that girl. Is there something in those cigarettes?” Zoro took a sip of the sake on a slow pace. Smirking, of course.

Ok. Maybe it was kind of obvious that he would have a crush on Zoro. That man was painfully… _not ugly_. But he decided he would never let him know that.

“Well,” Sanji smoked and exhaled, “I realized a certain green seaweed gets annoyed when I talk about beautiful girls, so I decided to spare him a bit.” Sanji smirked back.

Zoro arched his brows, a little amused. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. Since you get a little jealous when I admire pretty things, I’ve decided to look at your ugly face today,” Sanji gazed at him, cigarette hanging between his smug lips.

Zoro lifted a corner of his lips. “I see. So I just wanted you to look at me, is that it?”

“Yep. I’m all yours today, marimo.”

And there it was again. That long fixated stare, those damn smirking lips, that fucking tension that was slashing him up like one of Zoro’s swords… 

“Someone’s a little cocky today,” Zoro tittered and looked away, sipping on his drink.

He didn’t know if he could call that _never letting Zoro know,_ but it didn’t seem to be bothering the man. And _that_ didn’t bother Sanji at all.

“Let’s go, then?” Zoro finished the rest of his drink at once.

Sanji had completely forgotten about their plan. He inhaled one last time on his cigarette, putting it out. He may have smoked a bit too fast, as his itching throat made him cough a little. 

They got up carefully, trying not to call attention, but Zoro lightly tripped on his feet. For a moment, it looked like he was about to faint, but he promptly recovered.

When they reached the back wall, behind all the tables and next to the restrooms, Sanji managed to whisper. “What was that, mossy? Drunk already?”

“You’re one to talk. I just stood up too quickly, that’s all,” Zoro mumbled.

They reached a door that read _staff only._ They glanced around the room before finally walking in.

The boys came across a corridor with three other closed doors, and a fourth one that marked the emergency exit. They skipped the first two, as they heard muffled voices coming from inside. Sanji felt his throat still a little sore, and he couldn’t hold back his coughing at that moment. Zoro glared at him, but they managed to enter the third door, unnoticed.

The room was nearly empty, if it weren’t for three red wooden cargo crates, identical as the ones Sanji saw earlier. _Bingo._

Zoro swiftly took the knife from his pocket, inserting it underneath a crate’s lid. But strangely, he didn’t seem to be putting enough force, and the crate remained closed. Zoro then shut his eyes, palming his forehead.

“Zoro? Are you okay?” Sanji touched Zoro’s back as the man curved over the crates.

“I’m…” Zoro was visibly trying to pretend he was all right, but he stopped midsentence and spoke the truth, “I’m… dizzy… I… don’t know what happened…”

“Okay, okay, sit down…” Sanji gently helped him sit on top of a crate, cupping his face. Zoro’s quick breaths slowly stabilized, and he unhurriedly opened his eye, staring at Sanji. “Better?”

“Um… yeah… I guess…”

“Good. Let me handle this thing.” Sanji turned to the crate, using his knife as leverage and opening it with ease.

This time, it was definitely not food. The crate was full with hundreds of transparent plastic packages, individually wrapping up – _wow, okay._

The small bags were all filled up with a thin powder, with a purely white color. _“Shit._ Is this…?” Sanji said, gawking. Zoro creased his forehead, surely thinking the same. 

Sanji opened a second crate. The small bags of this one were instead filled with crushed and compressed green leaves.

“Damn,” Zoro managed to get up and take a look, “no wonder these guys were so sneaky.”

“How were they carrying these things around in the open? Aren’t they afraid of being caught by the mari–” Sanji was suddenly interrupted by his own involuntary coughing fit.

At the exact same time, Zoro lost his balance and closed his eyes, falling forwards onto Sanji’s arms, unconscious.

“Zoro?” Sanji was still coughing repeatedly while trying to reanimate him, “ZORO! Zoro, please, talk to me!” He grabbed his own throat, as it was getting harder to breathe, “Zoro, wake up!”

A small purple flare emerged out of thin air, floating at the back of the room, like a tiny ball of energy.

Startled, Sanji dragged Zoro further from the purple light, that was now increasing on size. He held him closely against the door, while still trying not to throw up his own lungs onto the floor.

The source of light turned into a flat rectangular shape, suddenly as tall as the ceiling. Then, three uniformed men stepped into the room, from what Sanji now understood to be an open portal.

The men were flabbergasted by the sight, looking between the open crates and the two boys in the corner of the room. For a moment, the employees glanced at each other, not knowing exactly how to proceed. 

Until they finally took action. One of them grabbed a rope, while the others tried to take Zoro from Sanji’s arms. 

“NO!” Sanji pulled on Zoro’s clothes as hard as he could, but he was nearly fainting as well from lack of oxygen. The men got to drag the unconscious Zoro away, tying his arms behind his back with the rope. _“Leave him alone!”_ he shouted, which worsened his coughing fit.

The employees tried to do the same to Sanji, but they committed the mistake of not aiming for his legs. He used the last blows of air on his lungs, and launched himself up to the men, kicking them down to the floor.

He knew the strength he had managed to gather hadn’t been enough to knock them unconscious, but the three of them were laying down, trying to recover. Sanji crumbled to the floor as well, wheezing and struggling to keep his eyes open, when someone else entered the room through the portal.

“You boys are starting to get a little too snoopy, don’t you think?” Maya smugly smiled.

_ “You!” _ Sanji lifted his head, but one of the employees held him forcefully down, “You did this, didn’t you? What have you done to us?”

“What have _I_ done to you?” she tittered, “You guys knew pretty well what this challenge was about, and yet you couldn’t stay away from your addictions, could you?” She lifted a brow, insinuating.

_ Fuck.  _

“But… but we brought…” Sanji realized the more he spoke or thought of something else, the more he was managing to normalize his breathing. “It’s… it’s just an illusion isn’t it? I’m not really choking, am I? What… what kind of Devil Fruit do you have…?”

Maya was just looking at him with an almost pitiful expression. 

Then, Zoro lightly moved on his place, groaning a little while squinting his closed eyes. 

“ZORO!” Sanji shouted, still unable to move from the employee’s grip. “Zoro, listen to me! You’re not really drunk, okay? You’re not passing out!” Zoro seemed to be responding to his words, slowly blinking himself awake. “Yes! You can hear me, can’t you? You’re not drunk, remember? You’re _never_ drunk! Now please wake up, Zoro!”

Zoro shot a vague look at Sanji’s direction, but one of the men started to drag him towards the portal. “Maya, enough of these outsiders. _They saw it!_ We should find a way to silence them!”

“You can fucking _try!”_ Sanji untangled himself from the man that was holding him down, sending a powerful kick at his head.

“Wait, what are you –” Maya lifted her palms to calm him down and stop him from moving forwards, but with the rush, Sanji thrusted his shoulder against her, making her walk a few steps back. He promptly knocked down the two other man, approaching the still disoriented Zoro.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sanji put his hand inside of Zoro’s pocket, taking out his knife and quickly cutting the rope that tied his arms together. Sanji sheathed the knife again, placing it in a pocket inside his own suit. Zoro just nodded his head.

The three men got up once again, ready to fight back, but Maya raised her hand. “That’s enough. Leave us, please.”

They scowled at her for a moment, clearly dissatisfied, but they finally walked back through the portal, leaving the three of them alone.

Sanji stood up and stared at her. “What is this place? What are you doing with those things?”

Maya sighed, but seemed to be expecting the questions. “We could say it’s a place the marines don’t have any knowledge about. And I intend to keep it that way.”

“We’re not telling anybody.”

“I believe you, Vinsmoke Sanji. After all, you have no reason to contact the marines, do you? I know you wouldn’t like it if I turned you in either. _Or_ your little friends. So _I know_ you’ll keep quiet, right?”

“Please, don’t call me by that name. What do you mean? The others are okay, right?”

“Oh! That Luffy sure has a lot of energy, hasn’t he? And those girls are so pretty…”

“ _Where are they?"_ Sanji raised his voice, “They’d better be okay!”

“Calm down, dear! It’s almost over now. They are just as safe as you are. I told you to relax, didn’t I? You guys are taking all of this too seriously. Enjoy the festival, boys! Do whatever you want. Really, I mean it. Just... don’t touch my merchandise.” Her soft smile came and went just as quickly, then she turned around to leave. 

“Wait! Hey, where are you…” Sanji tried to reach her, but Maya left though portal, making all the purple lights disappear completely. “Dammit.”

Zoro started to lift himself up, but was barely keeping his balance. 

Sanji ran to help him stand. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

The man just looked at him. “Did you really just... _yell_ at a woman?”

Sanji froze in his place, his eyes suddenly widened. “Oh my god. I think I just _shoved_ a woman!”

Zoro laughed as Sanji helped him walk out of the room, holding him sideways. “That one deserved it.”

“Shut up, I’m serious! I’ll never forgive myself for doing that!”

The boys left the lounge through the emergency exit, and Sanji supported Zoro on his shoulder as they walked towards the cottage. Their proximity spread a weird warmth through his chest. 

“Seems like there really _was_ something in your cigarette.”

Sanji chuckled. “Yeah. In the end it didn’t fucking matter if we brought our own stuff or not.”

“At least this task is over, I suppose. So, what happened there? I just remember seeing you coughing, then suddenly you’re screaming at that witch.”

“Don’t call her that, marimo. Well, I was almost fainting too, but I had to get up and save you first, so you’re welcome.”

“It looks a lot like the day I had to save you from that fish woman at the waterfall. At least this time you got rid of the witchcraft by yourself, huh?”

“So ungrateful. Fine, we’re even. Happy?”

“And this right here is just like yesterday, when I had to carry your drunk ass home. So I guess we’re even again.” Zoro stopped walking and Sanji was able to see his soft smile. He removed his arm from around Sanji’s shoulders. “I think I’m feeling a little better. Thanks.” 

Sanji wasn’t exactly happy to be now walking apart from Zoro, but he kept it to himself. He really felt like smoking, but just realized he didn’t know what would happen if he took another cigarette from that damn pack.

“Oh, fuck me. I can’t believe I’ll have to look for new cigarettes _again_ tomorrow…” he searched his pants’ pockets for the pack, just so that he could throw it out, but the cigarettes were nowhere to be found. There was only a folded piece of paper instead.

Sanji opened it and read his new flourished message out loud.

_ The end is in sight, but also a new chapter. _

_ Be careful when reaching the things you’ve been after. _

_ But there’s something missing, to get what you look for. _

_ You’ll notice the truth, but you won’t see anymore. _

“Okay. The sight task, at last,” Sanji kept the paper, and they finally reached the cottage. “How about yours? Did you check your pockets?”

Zoro found his message as well, written with the same capital letters as his older ones. It was nearly identical to Sanji’s, but with small changes at the end.

__

_ THE END IS IN SIGHT, BUT ALSO A NEW CHAPTER. _

_ BE CAREFUL WHEN REACHING THE THINGS YOU’VE BEEN AFTER. _

_ A LITTLE MORE PATIENCE, TO GET WHAT YOU LOOK FOR. _

_ FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT, AND YOU’LL OPEN A NEW DOOR. _

“Hum, mine says that _I won’t see anymore,_ but yours don’t,” Sanji said as they changed clothes and got ready to sleep.

“I don’t even _want to see_ anything anymoretoday. I just need to get on the bed. We’ll think about it tomorrow.”

“Okay, then,” Sanji moved the sheet and got on the bed, “I just hope it doesn’t take us by surprise or –” he stopped talking when he noticed Zoro astonished expression.

They were laying side by side on the double bed, already half-covered by the shared sheet. 

The boys gazed at each other, unmoving, until Sanji realized what he had done. _“Oh,”_ Sanji swallowed hard and slowly got out from the bed, “I’m so sorry, I… I think I got used to sleeping on the bed…” he awkwardly smiled as he went to the couch.

Zoro remained still, his mouth slightly open. “Oh… that’s…” he seemed to be looking for the right words, “well… if you… um…”

“No, that’s okay, I’ll…” Sanji tried to speak before Zoro could, covering himself up with the sheet on the couch, “I mean, you’re in poor health today, aren’t you? You need the bed more than I do,” he tried to tease. 

Zoro softly smiled at him, but something in his eyes told him that that wasn’t exactly what he had planned to offer. “Well… okay then. Good night, ero-cook,” he grinned.

Sanji smirked. “Good night, marimo-kun,” They locked eyes for a brief moment, then Zoro turned off the bedside lamp. 

Sanji stared at the dark ceiling, sighing deeply like a fucking hormonal teenager.

He fell asleep with a stupid goofy smile on his face, as the room was filled only by Zoro’s peaceful and muffled snoring sounds.


	10. Perception

Sanji was stirring at the soup he was making for lunch, the strong scent of the seasonings steaming up from the pan. The smell of that old recipe immediately reminded him of simpler days, when all he did was flirt with the female clients of Baratie, and bicker with Zeff and the other cooks, while attentively learning new techniques from the old geezer. 

He suddenly felt very nostalgic. Even those yells and little fights couldn’t hide the fact that all of them cared about each other very much. Specially Zeff. Sanji wished he had known how to properly express how much he really meant to him, how he would never forget that stupid sacrifice and all the efforts that came later. But the only way he knew how to show his affection towards men was through bickering.

_ Huh. _

Sanji immediately shot a look at Zoro from behind the counter, who was doing sit-ups near the dining table. His naked torso was gleaming with sweat, and Sanji had to bite his own lips to stop himself from gawking.

“Do you have to do this right here? This is where we eat, you know.”

“Yes, I do,” Zoro just continued his exercise.

Sanji rolled his eyes. “If we were in the Baratie right now, you’d be in real trouble.” Zoro chuckled, and Sanji smiled at the memory of his old companions. “Go take a shower,” he continued, “lunch is almost ready.”

Zoro stood up and grabbed a towel. “I’m not taking a shower right now,” he wiped the sweat from his body and tossed the towel away. He then sat at the table, waiting for lunch.

Sanji grimaced.“Ugh, now the cooks would really kick your ass.” 

Zoro smiled softly at him, studying his face. “Do you miss them?”

“The guys from Baratie? Of course I do. But… that old man knows I’ve got a new family now.”

Zoro raised his brows, then they shared a knowing smile. 

“Speaking of Baratie,” Sanji said while stirring the soup, “you were there when I entered the crew but… I don’t think I know in which condition you joined Luffy. You were the first one, right?”

“Yeah. Uhm, Luffy found me when I was arrested, then he set me free.”

_ “What? _ You were _arrested?”_

“Yeah, some spoiled brat was terrifying the village with his pet wolf, and it was about to attack a little girl, so I knocked him down. But it turned out his father was a marine captain, so he tied me to a pole inside the marine base, and said he would set me free if I stayed that way for a month without eating. When Luffy found me, I hadn’t eaten anything for nine days, but that bastard–”

“Wait,” Sanji interrupted, _“what?_ You’ve gone nine days without eating for that random girl?” he suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation in his chest.

“Well, yeah… that girl even tried to feed me but… that shitty dude just tossed her onigiri to the ground and stepped on it. She was devastated. Thank god Luffy showed up and fed me the leftovers. It was full of dirt, of course, but delicious. Although I think she might have swapped the salt for sugar, but– hey, are you okay?”

Sanji hadn’t noticed he was gawking at Zoro, and had completely stopped stirring the soup. He quickly returned to his cooking, looking straight at the pan.

_ Did he really… eat a stepped on onigiri… with dirt… and sugar… for a little girl? _

He felt his own cheeks burning hot, but he cleared his throat. “Go on. Then Luffy set you free?”

“He went searching for my swords, on the condition that I joined his pirate crew.” Zoro vaguely stared at the table, then chuckled to himself. “Who would’ve thought that stubborn little guy would turn out to be one of the people I most respect and admire in this world.” 

Sanji couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” he poured the steaming soup on both of their dishes. “Many people on this crew ended up surprising me a lot as well.”

Those last words slipped out of his mouth before he realized that maybe he wasn’t being as subtle as he thought he was, but he didn’t actually care.

Sanji chanced a soft smirk at Zoro, who made the same expression back at him. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Zoro echoed.

_ And he keeps on surprising me.  _

__

***

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing about the last riddles, but nothing came to their minds. They decided to go to the festival, since it was the last day of the fair, and wander around to see if they’d come up with something.

They walked to another square of Matsu Town, exploring new areas of the festival, now more crowded than ever. Sanji bought a new pack of cigarettes and observed the drink stands, a strong cinnamon smell coming to his senses.

“Good afternoon!” Sanji said to the stall owner, “what are those?” he pointed to the steaming cups full of a dark red liquid.

“Hello, young men!” he smiled, “oh, these are cups of mulled wine, made of hot red wine, cinnamon, oranges, cloves and other spices. Want some?”

Sanji bought two of the drinks, thanking the man. He absolutely had to make one of these on the ship. Sweet, warm, spicy, and that familiar touch of alcohol. Absolutely delicious.

“Ugh. Too sweet,” Zoro grimaced as he drank the beverage.

“Give it to me, then,” Sanji had just finished his mulled wine and was already taking Zoro’s.

Zoro chuckled. “Geez, cook, you’re starting to like alcohol more than I do.”

They walked a bit more around the square, Sanji deciding to drink a little slower this time. Then, he spotted a dark entrance, surrounded by drawings of skulls, spooky clowns, ghosts and other monsters. Some children were daring each other to enter, visibly pretending to be tough, and a group of teenagers left the place laughing.

“A ghost train,” Zoro said, when he saw where Sanji was looking at.

Above the entrance, a sign read the name of the ride.

SPOOKY HOUSE!

_ Come and see, if you dare to open your eyes! _

__

“Cute. Hey, maybe we should go inside.” Sanji said.

“Huh? Oh. Because of the _eyes_ thing? I don’t know why our last challenge would be inside of a kids’ ride, but okay.”

“Aww, don’t tell me you’re scared, marimo!” Sanji scoffed, and Zoro just sneered in response.

The boys proceeded to entering the ghost train, taking a seat on the guided vehicle for two.

The ride started moving slowly through a completely dark tunnel, an eerie but childish song setting the mood.

The vehicle was a little too tight for the two of them, and Sanji’s heart raced as their legs, hips and arms were touching at all times. Maybe it was actually kind of unnecessary for them to lean on each other like this, but Zoro wasn’t moving away, so neither was he.

The gloomy tunnel and the slow-paced movements of the vehicle were strangely relaxing, even if animatronic ghosts and zombies kept trying to jump scare them. He felt himself being drawn to Zoro, the absence of light giving him some kind of courage.

But suddenly, the ride abruptly stopped, and a spider the size of a basket ball fell in front of them, alongside a generic frightening sound.

Sanji screamed with the shock, grabbing tightly at Zoro’s arm, and taking a second too long to realize the spider was fake. Zoro guffawed at the sight, and the vehicle moved once again.

“Stop laughing, marimo! I’m really afraid of spiders!” Sanji was trying to normalize his racing breath.

Somehow the distance between them diminished as Zoro laughed, both unconsciously more comfortable with the proximity. Sanji realized he was still holding Zoro’s arm, but he left it that way.

“And you said _I_ would be scared, huh?” Zoro gradually stopped laughing, but he didn’t seem to mind Sanji’s light grip.

Sanji couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful at moments like this. _Fuck,_ he just wanted to jump on Zoro’s neck right then and there, but he shouldn’t be this reckless. He felt his head getting heavier, but restrained himself from the urge of leaning on Zoro’s shoulders.

A particularly ugly animatronic tried to scare them, but it actually had a dislocated wig, showing a little of the electronic parts of its scalp. The boys burst into laughter, and Sanji felt warm and fuzzy inside. 

But the ride was reaching its end, so the tunnel was gradually lightening up. They crossed looks, their smiles fading with the intense stare, Sanji still trying to figure the man out. He slowly removed his hand from Zoro’s arm, a little embarrassed. 

The vehicle stopped and they left to the brightness of the afternoon, eyes still trying to adapt to the sudden change.

They awkwardly strolled around the square, not knowing exactly what to do or say.

“So… what now?” Zoro asked.

“Don’t know. We can walk a little more in a bit, but right know I think I’ll get more of that mulled wine.”

Zoro darted a suggestive smile.

“Oh, come on,” Sanji said, “there’s barely any alcohol in those things! I’m not a drunkard, I just overdrank once!”

“Okay, okay. Go sit on that bench, then. I’ll go grab it for us. Let’s see if that guy could make it sugarless for me.”

Zoro turned around and Sanji sat on the bench, still a little dumbfound by the kind gesture. He leaned back, the warm breeze of the late afternoon caressing his skin.

A familiar man approached him with a tray, smiling.

“Hello again, cutie,” Oscar said.

“Hi! What are you selling today?” Sanji leaned forward to take a look at the tray.

“Candy apples. Want some?”

“Oh, I love those! How much is it?”

Zoro showed up at this moment. He handed Sanji his mulled wine, drinking at his own cup while taking a seat beside him.

“Oh, I see you’re not alone this time!” Oscar smiled as Sanji handed him the money. “You two are really gorgeous, aren’t you?” he glanced between them while returning Sanji his change. “Please, enjoy! Have a good evening, cuties!” Oscar went away, smirking.

They shared a confused look, then tittered. Sanji took a bite from the candy apple, then shared it with Zoro. He finished his wine a bit too fast, feeling a little dizzy. Maybe it had more alcohol than he had initially thought.

“I think that guy is kinda into you,” Zoro said.

Sanji chuckled. “Into _me?_ He asked me about _you_ yesterday.”

“Huh? What did he say?”

“He specifically asked where my _hot friend_ was”

Zoro let out a soft laugh. “And what did you respond to that?”

“I said I didn’t know what he was talking about. I only have a moss-for-brains friend, and he is really annoying and doesn’t wash his clothes, and he has no sense of direction, and only thinks about swords and sweating in the kitchen.”

“I see. So you immediately thought of me, huh?” Zoro grinned teasingly.

Sanji lightly punched his arm, containing his smile. 

They finished eating and walked a little further, till they reached the edge of the town. The place was very quiet, with more trees and a lot less people. Sanji smoked and leaned over a railing, only to see the ocean touching the rocks down the small cliff they were standing on. 

There was nothing much they could do on this side of the town, but they noticed a man sitting next to an opening on the railing, beside a sign that read _CHAIRLIFT RIDE._

Zoro sighed. “What do you think? Maybe we can see something from up there that could give us a clue.”

Sanji agreed, and they paid the man for the ride. This town was really eating up all their money, wasn’t it?

They walked through a path down the cliff, reaching the end terminal of the lifts. Another man helped them get up the moving chair, then they positioned themselves side by side on the double aerial seat, while it followed the steel wire rope up across the island.

The landscape around them were initially made only of the trees below, but when the wire rope reached its highest, they were met by one of the most breathtaking views Sanji had ever seen.

The chairlift was being carried over the vast ocean, with nothing else around them but the other end of the island far ahead. The sun was beginning to hide behind the horizon, making the whole clear sky change to a warm yellow color. The smooth glimmering sea seemed to be made of millions of tiny emerald stones.

The wind was playing with Zoro’s hair while he marveled at the horizon, where the golden met the green. His earrings moved with the breeze, tinkling softly and pleasing Sanji’s ears. 

Sanji slouched back on the chair, lighting a cigarette. Zoro was curved forwards, his mouth slightly agape. His eye scar was facing Sanji, that damn mysterious wound that he had no idea how he’d got. It made a perfect contrast with his tanned skin, now appearing even darker at this hour. Sanji was actually thankful for that scar; at least he had more time to enjoy that view, suddenly much more interesting than the sunset.

Zoro started looking downwards at the approaching island, searching for something, apparently just now thinking of the sight task.

“Do you see anything?” Zoro turned to him, and was caught off guard by his stare. Sanji inhaled on his cigarette, not exactly feeling like looking away, almost daring Zoro to break the eye contact.

And he didn’t. Zoro was studying him the same way, as if he would miss an important detail if he blinked.

_ Yes, I do. _

They hadn’t noticed they were getting to the other end terminal until they reached it. The boys got down from the chairlift, and Sanji lost a little of his balance. They ended up on the other side of the town, at the beach near the Moonlight Lounge.

Sanji threw away his cigarette and spotted a bench, then he sat down facing the ocean. He sighed when Zoro joined him, also staring at the last rays of sun disappearing behind the waves.

“Are you okay?” Zoro asked.

“Yeah. Just needed to rest a little. I think the height made me a little dizzy.”

“Hum. Told ya you would get drunk, swirly,” Zoro smirked.

“I’m not drunk, bastard. Just a little giddy. But I’m feeling better now,” he smiled.

Zoro chuckled. “That’s good.”

They sat quietly together, the day light slowly being replaced by the moon’s. The stars were scattered across the sky, like spatters of white paint on a black canvas.

“So damn beautiful,” Sanji studied the scene in front of him.

“Yes, I know. I’m your _hot friend,_ aren’t I?” Zoro grinned.

Sanji rolled his eyes, but tittered. “You know, you’re actually not that bad yourself.”

The man lifted his eyebrows, smug and amused.

“Okay, maybe I _am_ a little drunk” Sanji smiled.

Zoro turned to stare at the sky, laughing. That laugh that used to be so rare, that he was letting out so easily on the past few days. That fucking half-smile that just lightened up his face, and rushed Sanji’s blood straight away.

Without thinking twice, before the voice inside his head warned him otherwise, Sanji did what seemed to be right, what his whole body was screaming for him to do. 

He gently cupped Zoro’s jaw, lightly pushing him closer. They faced each other for a fraction of a second, before Sanji leaned in and sealed their lips together.

Sanji’s heart skipped a beat, or it may have stopped beating for good. All the time in the world seemed to vanish, a million hours condensed into that single second. Their lips just stayed lightly pressed, but Sanji gathered all the strength left on his melting body to slowly break them apart.

Then he realized what he had done. Zoro was looking at him completely stunned and confused, his chest raising up as rapidly as his own.

“Fuck…” Sanji couldn’t face him anymore, so he buried his head on his hands. “Look, I…” Sanji took a deep breath, feeling like his heart would come out of his mouth at any moment, “I’m so sorry… I… I don’t know why I did that…” He stood up, walking away.

Zoro seemed to be back at his own body, finally remembering how to speak. “Huh? No! Cook, _wait!_ Where are you going?” he tried to follow him, but Sanji just quickened his pace.

“I’m sorry, please forget I did that, okay?” he stormed out of the beach, trying to get out of Zoro’s sight, trembling as he lit up a cigarette.

“Forg– _what?_ Cook, just please, _please_ come back here!”

But Sanji didn’t stop walking. Not until he passed through all the joyful people of the festival. Not until he raced to the exit of the town, and the gates of the cottage complex, and the door with the number 3. Not until he was completely and utterly alone.


	11. Grasp

_ That’s it. That’s the end of my journey as a straw hat. _

_ Fuck! _

_ What the hell was I thinking? _

Sanji was gathering his clothes, his toothbrush, and everything he could see laying around the room, then he shoved all of it in his backpack. He didn’t know why exactly. But he had to do _something_.

_ I kissed him. I kissed Zoro. _

_ He won’t even want to look at me again while we’re here, and oh my god, the ship… _

What was he going to do? He had no fucking clue. But thank god for that marimo and his lack of directions. Sanji surely had plenty of time to leave, to stick his ass down a bottomless pit or something, before Zoro could–

Zoro entered the cottage at that instant, and Sanji felt as if his soul had just flown away from his body. _God dammit._

Sanji glued his eyes on his packing, aware that Zoro was scratching the back of his head, his unsure steps coming towards him.

“Uhm, what are you doing?” Zoro asked.

Sanji sighed, looking straight at the clothes he was folding. “Today is the last day of the festival. The city will be less crowded tomorrow. I’m searching for a vacant room in the morning,” he just decided. “If I find something out about the last challenge, I’ll let you know, okay?”

There was a pause. “What the _fuck_ are you talking about?”

“You can sleep on the bed again today, I don’t care.” 

Zoro exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Cook, _stop it.”_

“Really, it’s fine, I slept there twice in a row–”

“Cook, look at me!” Zoro snatched and yanked on his tie, forcing Sanji to face him.

Too close. Zoro was _too damn_ close. He was staring deeply into Sanji’s eyes, his uneasy look screaming something Sanji couldn’t understand.

_ “What?” _ Sanji asked, desperate to move away, but already losing himself in every detail of Zoro’s expression.

The man loosened up his gripe, just for a little bit. He swallowed hard, his eyes piercing Sanji intensely. “Why did you kiss me?” Zoro asked, almost in a whisper.

Sanji’s stomach dropped. His mouth hanged slightly open, his breathing now even faster. “I told you to forget it, didn’t I?” he lightly pushed Zoro, trying to turn back to the clothes, but the man didn’t let him. Zoro tugged on his tie, forcing Sanji to face him once again.

A mere inch was now keeping their faces apart, Zoro’s heavy breaths entangling with his own. He adjusted his firm grasp on the tie, and Sanji instinctively grabbed his robe. His heartbeat raced wildly. Zoro’s soft scent reached him on a rush, their parted lips panting with want. 

Zoro took a few steps towards Sanji, thrusting him against the wall. With a final pull at Sanji’s tie, he pressed their lips together.

Sanji felt like his whole body was melting. As much as he had been daydreaming about Zoro, never in a million years he would’ve thought it would feel this good. Their tongues met in equal eager to explore one another, as if they wanted to fit all wasted time into that single moment. 

He gripped tightly on Zoro’s neck, while his other hand buried itself in green hair, making sure the kiss was as deep as his eagerness.Zoro ran his hands through Sanji’s back, squeezing him into a tight embrace. Sanji arched forwards in response, a small sound leaving his throat.

Every movement was desperate, clumsy and rushed, but somehow coordinated, as if they had done this a thousand times. He could taste the strong spices of the mulled wine while Zoro deeply searched for his tongue, forcing him against the wall, as if he could slip from his grasp at any moment. Sanji crossed his arms around his neck, equally as avid to hold him in place.

Zoro broke the kiss, and Sanji let out a whine in protest, suddenly taken out of his trance. But Zoro quickly met his neck with his lips, licking and kissing and sucking his skin, while seizing on golden locks. Sanji couldn’t help but moan, tilting his head back as his whole body shivered with each touch. The man grunted in response, raising the intensity of his moves.

Sanji pulled him up by his robe, demanding another deep kiss. Zoro roughly cupped his jaw with both hands, running a thumb just below his temples, then gliding it across his cheek. Sanji left his mouth in search for the finger, and Zoro softly rubbed it on his lips. He couldn’t help but slightly lick it, his own body begging him to taste and discover every little corner of the man. Zoro watched him, his eyes narrowed with lust and lipsparted.

They violently pressed their mouths again, their moans slipping out in unison. Sanji roughly moved the fabric on the man’s shoulder, opening the upper side of his robe. Zoro let his sleeves fall, hanging around his waist. He tookthe knot on Sanji’s tie and pulled it all the way out, untangling it completely and letting it drop to the floor. A wave of arousal randown his spine, seeing the bastard had learned his trick.

Zoro sloppily unbuttoned Sanji’s shirt, kissing down his chest with every new opening. His lips trailed all the way back up, sending goosebumps throughout Sanji’s body. They threw the shirt away, immediately running their hands on each other’s bare torso, exploring every bump and curve.

The muscles on the man’s back bunched beneath Sanji’s fingers, sliding through the small beads of sweat, and everywhere Zoro touched him it was like wildfire on his skin. His brawny arms felt just as good as they looked, and Sanji felt weightless as he got pushed even harder onto the wall.

Zoro seemed to be reading his mind, every move being exactly what Sanji needed. He had never felt like this before. So hopelessly at the mercy of someone else, and yet he didn’t feel powerless. He would never expect to feel so good by being forced against a wall like that, especially by a man. And let alone _that_ man. But boy, he would let Zoro do _anything_ to him now.

Zoro clasped on Sanji’s naked waist, gliding down to his hips, while his sure mouth did wonders to his body and mind. Sanji arched his back, desperate to keep their bodies touching, and bit Zoro’s lower lip, teasingly pulling it down with his teeth. Zoro groaned loudly at that, instinctively tugging him closer by gripping his ass.

That movement accidentally made their groins rub together, and both pulled back from the kiss to let out a high-pitched moan, at the sudden feeling of each other’s very obvious erections. They joined their foreheads, eyes clenched and pantingmouths still barely brushing, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of pleasure.

Zoro tried to repeat the movement, rubbing their hardness together as they leered down at each other’s nearly touchinglips. Sanji felt like he would burst at any moment. He shut his eyes and gave into Zoro’s control, each stroke making him lose his mind even more.

They sealed their lips once again, their kiss sloppy and everywhere, as Zoro focused on his firm movements. They buried their nails on each other’s back, scratching their skin as if clenching and biting and kissing and licking and feeling their bodies together wasn’t being enough in any way.

And it really _wasn’t_ enough. 

Sanji ran his hands down Zoro’s toned abs, his own cock already aching from the sudden stop of the friction. He hesitantly ran his fingers on the man’s fly, craving for more. He brushed the tip of Zoro’s length over his trousers, and the man whined, shutting his eyes.

Then Sanji felt it entirely, rubbing on the bulge in his pants. Zoro was losing it, his breath shaking and hand clutching on blond hair, and Sanji heated up entirely with the sight.

Zoro gazed at his eyes, a hungry and decisive look on his face. Their eyes never averted while he handled Sanji’s zipper, opening his fly in a rushed but firm manner. 

Sanji gasped when Zoro slid his hand inside, grabbing his dick beneath his underpants. Sanji squeezed his fingers on Zoro nape, burying his face on the man’s shoulders and moaning loudly at each stroke of that hand.

He melted and gave into his clasp, those nimble fingers moving smoothly and rhythmically along his length. Each pump sent his mind closer to insanity, and Zoro gradually quickened the pace, slightly pressing the head with each move, like he fucking knew how to drive him crazy.

The last thing he wanted was for Zoro to stop whatever he was doing with his fingers, but it still wasn’t enough. It was far from enough.

Sanji shoved Zoro’s hand away and snatchedhis neck, pushing him all the way back. Sanji took a few steps forward, the man’s eyes showing a hint of confusion, but when Zoro felt himself being forced over the kitchen counter, he grinned.

_ My turn. _

Sanji took his time, running his fingers down that absurdly muscled chest and overtrained abs, moistening his lips. He slowly moved back to stare at Zoro while he unbuttoned his trousers. His eyelids were heavy, looking at Sanji in expectation. His forehead and torso were already damp, his cheeks reddened, his lips parted and wanting. _Fuck._

Sanji lowered Zoro’s underclothes just enough to get what he wanted. Not looking away from his leering expression, he began stroking. Zoro clenched his eyes and leaned back on the counter, groaning. He tilted his head back, biting his lips to hold back his moans. And _fuck,_ that man was fucking gorgeous.

Blood rushed through Sanji’s veins, thrilling to know he was the one making that stoic man tremble like that in his hands. His own cock was throbbing at the sight of his long-time rival’s expression, now looking deeply into his eyes again.

Zoro’s ogle made Sanji whine with the urge to do more. The man gripped on his nape, yanking him to another deep and perfectly fitting kiss. Sanji’s groin met his own hand with the proximity, and he lost all that was left of his rationality, letting out a sharp breathy moan. He desperately took his own cock out, and began stroking their hardness together.

“ _Fuck_...” Zoro groaned loudly and pulled at Sanji’s hair. 

Sanji bent down, kissing and biting at Zoro’s neck while keeping the pace. He trailed up, licking and playing with his earrings and sucking at his earlobe. His heavy puffs of air also reached Sanji’s ears, and his dick throbbed at his own clasp.

He was feeling dizzy. Zoro’s wet dick felt absolutely amazing against his own, their size matching almost perfectly. Both men were puffing and moaning louder each time Sanji sped up the strokes, snatching at every bit of exposed skin their hands could find.

“I’m…” Zoro almost whispered as he clenched his eyes, and Sanji understood. Zoro’s knuckles went white as he grasped the counter, breathing erratically. He stiffened his body as he spurted into his own bare torso and a little on Sanji’s dick, then collapsed on the counter with one final long groan.

That was it for Sanji. He didn’t stop stroking their dicks together, as tension was building up in his own stomach. But he lost it all when Zoro smirked at him, beaten and panting, inviting him to continue.

Sanji closed his eyes and let himself feel the waves of pleasure rushing down his spine. He clumsily came on Zoro’s body, trembling and whining, until he crumbled on top of Zoro, burying his head on his shoulder.

They remained like that for a while, breathing heavily on each other’s necks. Sanji had an arm on Zoro’s back, and the man held his head down close, almost as if they were cuddling. Sanji let his head weight down on Zoro’s shoulder, feeling a slight hint of a caress on his hair.

_ God, what on earth just happened? _ He wasn’t even sure what would happen _next_ , but he wanted to enjoy that moment while it lasted. But as they were catching their breaths, Sanji knew that the heat of the moment would soon go away, and all that would remain would be embarrassment. 

“Oh well, we’ve profaned the kitchen,” Sanji said, slowly composing himself.

Zoro chuckled between his breaths.

Sanji glanced at Zoro’s shoulders. “Shit, you’re all scratched and bruised. Sorry.”

“You have a hickey on your neck too.”

Sanji raced to grab a ladle on the counter, examining his own reflection and the purple-ish mark on his neck.

“Piece of shit,” Sanji lightly punched Zoro, but there was no bite in his voice. Zoro tittered and they glanced at each other for a moment, but quickly looked away. 

“So… this was…” Zoro managed to say.

“Yeah…” Sanji responded.

Zoro grabbed some paper towels and tried to clean himself. Sanji was a little red-faced by the sight, but _man,_ that guy looked good even like this. 

Zoro clearly wasn’t succeeding on wiping all the dirt, so he smiled at Sanji. “I think I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Oh, okay,” he cleared his throat, fixing his own pants. “I’m… uh… I’m gonna heat up today’s soup for us, then.”

Zoro agreed with a soft smile and went to the bathroom, but Sanji was able to recognize a slight hint of disappointment.

Sanji washed his hands on the kitchen sink and wiped himself a little with a paper towel. Then he leaned over the counter, holding his forehead on his palms. 

_ What just happened? Jesus, what just happened? _

He sighed. _The best sex I’ve ever had, that’s what happened. And we basically just jerked each other off._

He put on his sleeping clothes, and turned to the stove to heat up the food.

_ Me. And a man. Me and Zoro.  _

Before they came to this island, he never would’ve thought that they would share something other than hatred. But… they never really hated each other, did they? They’re nakama. And… Zoro just proved he _really_ didn’t hate him. Sanji had been wondering a lot, imagining what it would be like if Zoro wanted him back. But he wasn’t expecting it to be this fucking perfect. 

But… _oh my god…_ they shouldn’t have done it. How can they stare at each other now? He was feeling almost the same way as when he got in the cottage earlier. 

He was sure it would never happen again. How could it? They’re nakama, for fuck’s sake. Zoro was probably thinking this was a mistake too. 

_ Yeah. It was just a mistake.  _

That thought gave him more pain than he would’ve imagined. But he couldn’t allow himself to daydream about this turning to anything more than a one-time thing. Especially when they return to the ship.

The shower was turned off, and Sanji panicked. He devoured his whole plate of soup, shoving it down at once. Then he wistfully glanced at his backpack in the corner of the room. 

Zoro got out of the bathroom, with just his sleeping shorts on. The steam that followed him smelled just like his hair, and he softly smiled at Sanji. 

His chest squeezed at the sight, and for a moment he forgot all the stupid things he was thinking before. _Just kiss him again. Just sleep on the bed with him. Just fucking see where this goes._ But his realistic side wiped all these thoughts from his head.

Zoro’s smile faded when he saw Sanji’s empty dish. “You ate already?”

“Yeah, uhm… yeah, I’m sorry… I’m just… really tired so… I’m gonna get ready to sleep now,” Sanji walked past Zoro, trying to avoid seeing his expression, and headed to the bathroom, “You can sleep on the bed as I said before, okay?” he closed the door.

He sighed and lighted a cigarette, trembling while doing so. He opened the bathroom’s window to let out the smoke. 

Guilt gashed his chest, his evasiveness still eating him up inside. 

But it was for the better. It was definitely better this way.

_ …Right? _

Then why was it hurting so much?

Sanji took his time on the cigarette, drumming his legs uncontrollably. And then he smoked on a second one. 

He brushed his teeth, and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. 

Finally, he got the guts to go out.

Outside, the room was pitch black, and Sanji turned on his lighter to find the way to the sofa. The dishes had been washed, and Zoro was lying on the bed, facing the other side.

Sanji stood still for a moment, pining while glancing between the bed and the couch.

_ It’s for the better. _

He then lied on the sofa, covering himself with a sheet.

Sanji turned from one side to another, struggling to fall asleep. He was almost getting up again to inject himself with nicotine, the only fucking thing that would calm him down now. Or so he thought.

But he kept lying down on that couch, and only when the early rays of sun began to light up the windows that he was able to close his eyes for good. But, until then, not a single snore was heard in that little cottage.


	12. Sight

Sanji inhaled on his cigarette, the smoke slipping out of the window to the sunny windless afternoon. Outside, the only noises on the square were boxes being dragged around, as the festival was getting dismantled.

He put his cigarette out on an ashtray he had found in the hotel room. Sighing, he lied on the single bed, staring at a mold on the ceiling, next to the rusty light fixture that matched that boring and peeling off green wallpaper.

He did the right thing moving to a new hotel. They just had one last trial to go through, and that was it. Back to the Sunny.

Sanji wasn’t recognizing himself anymore. They shouldn’t have done that. He didn’t even know if this island was real or, _god,_ if Zoro himself was real. _How did he end up in my door after all?_

_ It’s this fucking island, isn’t it? Was it the fucking point all along? _ This place was making him question the things he liked the most. _I get it. The treasure is a stupid life lesson._ Was he supposed to connect to his inner self or some bullshit like that?

“I like men too,” Sanji spoke to the mold on the ceiling. “There. I admit it. Was it the fucking sight task? Can I please leave now?” 

An uninvited tear emerged from the corner of his eye, but he wiped it away.

He’d better forget all of this. Real or not, it could never happen again.

A loud banging on the door made Sanji jump back to sitting. He waited for a moment before speaking. “Who is this?”

_ “Who the fuck do you think?” _ Zoro shouted, and Sanji’s stomach dropped.

He stood up, building the courage to face the man. He finally crossed the room, opening the door on the opposite wall of the bedside window.

“How did you find me?” Sanji asked, letting Zoro in.

“Looking for you the whole fucking day, that’s how!” Zoro stomped on his way in, and Sanji shut the door. “What are you doing? Why did you vanish like that?”

Sanji couldn’t stand his worried look. “I already told you. Now that the festival is over, we don’t need to stay together. There’s only one challenge left, so it won’t be long until we go back to the Sunny, and we’ll treat each other like we always have, won’t we?”

Sanji managed to stare at him, trying to be as defying as he could, but he swallowed hard when he saw the sorrow on Zoro’s expression.

Zoro deeply inhaled through his nose, his brows knitted. “Why do you keep acting like this?”

“Like _what?”_ Sanji felt that stubborn tear coming back, but he sustained their gaze.

Zoro’s painful expression cut Sanji like a sword. _I can’t. It can’t happen again. It didn’t mean anything._ They had to go back to the Sunny. How could they ever do that again on the ship? How would they hide from the others? How could they stare at each other if it didn’t go well? They lived together, god dammit. _I can’t._

Zoro seemed to be looking for the right words. “If you expect me to forget about yesterday…” he finally said, “if you expect me to forget about this whole fucking island…”

“What do you want me to say? Yesterday was nice, but it won’t happen again. Yes, I was attracted to you, but I was drunk. It’s gone now.”

_ Bullshit.  _ Not even Usopp could have told a worse lie than that. 

Zoro hardened his expression. He slowly approached Sanji, cornering him to the wall.

_ “Yeah? _ You were drunk?” Zoro clenched his jaw, already too damn close.

“Yes, I was,” Sanji’s voice trembled, but he didn’t look away.

Zoro grasped on Sanji’s nape, pulling him to a deep kiss.

Sanji couldn’t help but kiss him back, his hands moving on their own as somehow their tongues met even more intensely than the night before. Zoro’s mouth was like adrenaline, perfectly filling him, each move rushed and desperate as if Sanji’s body was afraid to miss it if his stupid mind interfered.

On the edge of crying, Sanji broke their lips apart, lightly pushing Zoro away as they caught their breaths.

“Are you drunk now?” Zoro asked in a quiet voice.

Sanji kept his head low, avoiding his gaze.

“I know how you feel when we’re together, I’m not stupid!” Zoro kept the close distance, but still gave Sanji some room.

“I don’t feel _shit,_ okay?” Sanji paced around the room to avoid looking at him. “Fine, what we did was good, but it was… _sexual,_ that’s all! I saw you as someone to have sex with, and that’s all you were to me!”

He immediately regretted saying that. His teary eyes tried to examine Zoro’s expression, but the fear of how he would react was no greater than the fear of what was growing inside of him.

_ I can’t. This is too much. Too new. I fucking can’t. _

Zoro narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing deeply into his soul. He had always been somewhat easy to see through, and Sanji took certain pride to say he knew Zoro like the palm of his hand, understanding him a little better than anyone in the crew could. 

But not this time. Zoro could very well be ready to slice him to pieces at any moment, or to burst into tears right then and there. Or neither. Or both. 

Sanji resumed his walking, hiding his trembling hands in his pockets, not even able to light a cigarette.

Steps approached him, and a finger reached his chin. Startled, Sanji couldn’t do anything but let his face be slowly lifted and pulled forward, so Zoro could lean in and lightly press their lips together once again.

_ It’s Zoro that knows me like the palm of his hand. _

For a moment, their kiss was just like that; a slight touch of their mouths. Zoro then leisurely brushed his tongue against Sanji’s, cupping his jaw and gently stroking his cheeks.

This was nothing like their previous kisses. Sanji’s breathing was shallow, and he squeezed his eyes shut as those tender lips ripped his heart out from his chest. He gently placed his hand on top of Zoro’s, losing all his grasp on reality as he gave into the feeling of their entangled breaths.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, almost reaching Zoro’s thumb as it caressed his skin. Sanji abruptly pushed the man, breathing heavily as he wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve. _“Shit…”_ he turned around to sit on the bed, elbows leaning on his thighs while he hid his face on his hands. 

_ He fucking knows me better than I do. _

This has long been past just a sexual thing.

Zoro remained where he stood, giving him space. Sanji buried his fingers on his own hair, bending as he tried to hold back those stupid tears.

Zoro let out a shaky sigh. “I don’t mind waiting,” he cut the silence, “if… that’s what you need,” Zoro’s steps were heading to the door. “I’ll wait.”

Sanji heard the door being opened, and then closed. 

At that moment, he let out all he was holding back, weeping on his hands. 

He lied down on the bed, an arm resting over his damp eyes, shoulders shaking with each painful gasp.

_ What the fuck is happening? I shouldn’t be crying like this. What has Zoro fucking done to me? _

He had never felt like this towards anybody. Yesterday he had felt an absolutely raw attraction to Zoro, as if their bodies were made for each other. Every movement, every sound, every breath, just perfectly completing one another. 

But what was that last kiss?

_ God, _ what have been the last few days?

He quivered as he breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. 

_ What am I doing here? He likes me, Zoro really fucking likes me! _

Sanji stared at the ceiling once again, through the tears that were still remaining in his eyes.

_ I’ve been pining like a fucking moron over him, and now I’ve just let him go through that door! I’m so stupid. So fucking stupid.  _

Sanji gradually evened his panting breath.

_ Zoro wants me. And I sure as fucking hell want him too. _

He touched his own lips, his mouth already missing the lingering touch.

_ Fuck it. _

Sanji stood up, gathering his things at once and shoving them back in his backpack.

_ No more running away. _

This is what he had been wanting, for so, _so_ long. Ever since he had laid his eyes on Zoro. Ever since he fucking sacrificed himself for his dream back in Baratie, and every time they bickered, every time they went to battle together, every longing gaze… _fuck._ Zoro has been overflowing his mind all along. 

_ Zoro is all I’ve been looking for. _

Sanji stopped walking immediately, as he realized the words that just formed in his mind.

He dropped his backpack to the floor, emptying his pockets. He placed his five messages on the bed, closely analyzing his newer one.

_ ‘…But there’s something missing, to get what you look for…’ _

_ Shit. _

He inspected the older ones.

_ ‘…Near the colors of grass is where you ought to be…’ _

_ ‘What you’re searching for can be easy to see through, but you can see a bit of yourself on it too…’ _

_ ‘…Often dangerous, but serene and collected…’ _

_ Oh my god. _

_ ‘…Next to what’s rock-solid is where you should settle.’ _

_ Zoro.  _ _ All of them. _

_ ‘…Just let go of control and savor this instant. You’ll see you’ve gained nothing from being resistant.’ _

It was all about Zoro. All the fucking notes. All of the challenges. All this time. It has always been about him.

_ I should’ve noticed. I should’ve realized it sooner. _

_ ‘What you need the most’ Maya had said. _

_ I’m so stupid. I should’ve… I… I needed this.  _

_ No, I needed to realize this. To admit this. I needed… I needed Zoro. _

_ I need Zoro. _

Sanji took his backpack and raced to the door, his heart bursting and chest rising in anticipation.

_ I need to tell him. _

He ran in search of Zoro, the town still somewhat crowded with people disassembling the remains of the festival. He tried to find a green spot at the distance, while running amidst the crowd.

But the more Sanji walked, the less he could see. In fact, the sun seemed to be hiding behind a thick cloud, as a huge shadow was cast on that previously sunny afternoon.

And all of a sudden, the day became night. 

Sanji froze in place, glancing at the sky. No moon. No sun. No stars. Just murky emptiness.

The townspeople didn’t seem to be noticing the absence of light in the middle of the day, or even caring about Sanji’s desperation.

They didn’t seem to be noticing Sanji at all.

Sanji rushed forward, screaming Zoro’s name with all the air in his chest. Each hasty step was making his vision hinder even further, each desperate shout diminishing all the sounds around him.

Until all he could see was pure blackness.

_ ‘…You’ll notice the truth, but you won’t see anymore.’ _

The sight task.

_ No, please, not now… _

Sanji stood there, not moving a muscle, as everywhere he looked it was like his eyes had never opened to begin with. He risked taking a step forward, but he couldn’t even trust the ground was really laying below him.

_ “ZORO?” _ He attempted screaming, but the void didn’t even diffuse the sound. 

His own heartbeats pulsing against his ears were deafening him. He stretched his arms in front of him, his hands in search of something palpable as he moved one leg after the other.

_ “Sanji!” _ a faint voice called from afar.

“Zoro?” He raced towards the sound.

_ No. It can’t be Zoro. He wouldn’t say my name like that. _

_ “Sanjiiii?” _ The voice repeated, a little closer than before. Now he could clearly tell that it was a child’s voice. “Heey, Sanji!”

He kept running towards the sound, as he finally began to make sense of his surroundings. His steps echoed as he noticed the stone floor, sparse torches being the only thing faintly illuminating that long dim corridor and those cold grey walls.

The voice was now giggling, along other kids. 

“Sanji, come back here!” another child said, but oddly, their steps now seemed to be coming from behind him.

Sanji abruptly stopped in order to look back, but not fast enough to dodge the strong kick that was aimed at his ribs. He collapsed to the floor, the pain taking him longer to recognize the small blue-haired child that was laughing at him.

His eyes widened as he held his bruise, unable to move his gaze away from the figures that stood above him.

“So damn weak,” said a third kid, with hair as red as blood. The boy bent down and punched Sanji hard on his face.

Blood spurted from his nose, the blow hitting him a lot harder than it should have. Sanji couldn’t do anything but gawk at the kids, a wave of fear inexplicably flooding his feelings.

He wiped his face, staring at the blood on his fingers. His hands were a lot smaller than he remembered. He glanced down at his own puny body, at the yellow T-shirt with a big number three written in black.

Sanji used his tiny hands to hopelessly try to flinch away from another attack, this time from the boy with vibrant green hair.

A deep throaty voice came from above. “Yonji, make sure he’s learned his lesson.”

“Yes, father!” Yonji kicked and punched at his stomach, as Ichiji held Sanji in place. 

His three twin brothers took turns to attack him. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight back. He wanted to ask them to stop, but he simply never could. 

He locked eyes with his pink-haired sister, pleading for some kind of help, as he always did. But she just stood there, unsmiling and observing quietly from the corner. As did his father.

He shut his eyes, hoping it would all go away. _It’s just a dream._

The last kick on his stomach hit the hardest, forcing the air out of his lungs. 

But then, the giggles and mockery abruptly stopped, deafening silence filling his ears once again.

The pain on his stomach seemed to be getting worse. He somehow felt even weaker than moments ago.

The presence of light through his eyelids intrigued him to blink them open. This time, the sky was a bright blue, with only a few clouds visible. Around him, there was nothing but plain rocks, and the wide sea surrounded the tall piece of land he was found in.

And his stomach hurt so much.

_ No… please… please… not this… _

Sanji attempted to pull his bony and puny body up, plodding to the other side of the little island on his gaunt feet.

A man lied on the ground, a rope tied to what was left of his chopped off leg. 

_ No. _

Sanji rushed to the unmoving body.

_ This is not as I remember. _

Trembling, he got down to examine it. “O-owner Zeff?” he said in a squeaky child’s voice.

Sanji tried to poke him, and Zeff slightly moved. Sanji’s heart melted. “Oh, thank god, old man! Thank god, you’re alive!”

Zeff faced him with empty eyes. “This is all your fault.” 

Sanji wavered. “W-what?”

“It’s all your fault. Your fault that I lost my leg…” Zeff was sitting up.

Sanji crawled away, gawking at Zeff.

“…Your fault that I starved to death…” his mustache was now getting bigger, his clothes changing into a chef’s uniform.

“No… no, _you’re alive!”_

Sanji looked around. The wooden deck of Baratie was now surrounding him, dozens of cannon bullet holes shattered the floating restaurant. 

Bodies were spread across the deck, the bright white color of the cooks’ uniforms now unrecognizably red.

They started to move. Their blank look made Sanji trip back on his own feet. They glared at him, standing up like zombies emerging from their graves.

Patty wobbled towards him, blood running down his face. “…It’s your fault that Big Mom came to kill us...”

Sanji’s quick gasps weren’t being enough to fill his lungs. “But… but you’re still alive! I know you’re all still alive!”

The back of his throat hurt as he tried to hold back the tears.

_ It’s a dream. It’s a dream.  _ _ It’s just a dream. _

The cooks slowly approached him, trying to reach him with stretched arms.

Despair made him run to the only place he could think of. Clenching his eyes, Sanji jumped to the ocean.

He waited for a splattering sound that never came. Sanji kept falling into an abyss, gravity pulling him into an endless void.

Then a large grassy field came towards him as he fell. The air came rushing through his skin, but he didn’t feel cold. Flares licked softly on his face, coming from a huge blaze eating up one of his legs.

Until he saw what was waiting for him on the ground. 

None of the muscles of his body responded to his command. He felt himself spinning in the air and being launched down, his burning leg ready for the hit.

With all the strength he wasn’t willingly gathering, he kicked Luffy in the head.

Luffy’s eyes dazed, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Nami came running from a giant tree trunk, her eyes flooded with tears. 

Sanji walked away, towards the Germa 66 carriage that awaited him.

“Pardon me, Lord Sanji,” Nami stomped at his direction, making him look back to face her teary scowl.

When she was close enough, Nami raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could. “Fare thee well. I beg you forgive me for my heavy-handed approach,” she turned around to check on Luffy.

Sanji stood there, facing the other side, hand on his cheek. He heard Nami sobbing and puling, but no matter how many slaps or punches she threw him, nothing could be worse than that sound.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _This isn’t real._

The cries were gradually getting away, until they were just distant and constant weeps.

Raindrops reached his forehead, making him glance around.

The sudden heavy rain didn’t stop him from hearing the cries, but Nami was not around. The weeps were coming from a small group of people wearing dark clothes, holding umbrellas as they stared down at something.

He approached the crowd. A brunette littlegirl’s body was lying inside an open coffin, and Sanji didn’t recognize her at all. He examined the mourning people, until a man quietly staring her from afar caught his attention.

His stomach dropped. “ZORO!” he screamed. 

Zoro startled and spotted him.

Relieved, they shared a faint smile. Sanji raced towards Zoro, who ran with the same urge to his encounter.

Sanji reached his hand, trying to rush through any second he was away from Zoro, and the man lifted his arm as well, longing for their touch.

It happened so fast Sanji barely processed it. An enormous palm was now where Zoro had been standing just a second ago. A palm that actually looked much more like a bear’s paw.

Sanji’s jaw gaped at that familiar and expressionless man, holding a bible with his other hand.

Brook drew his sword, and Sanji couldn’t do anything but watch. He saw his nakama being vanished before his eyes, as Bartholomew Kuma slapped him out of existence. 

Kuma turned back and slowly walked towards Usopp, who was crawling away in shock. Sanji wanted to scream and take Usopp out of that place, but it was also too late for him.

In a blink of an eye, Kuma was now standing in front of Sanji, launching his paw at his encounter.

This time, Sanji didn’t vanish as his nakama had, but was instead hurled to the ground. A cloud of dust was lifted when his fall destroyed the already wrecked stone floor around him.

He ignored the agony he felt on his broken ribs, as recognition made him jump up to his feet. A huge black sail could be seen high up above the thick mist, the ruins of Gecko Moriah’s castle making him shiver as he was reminded of yet another memory he’d very much rather forget.

He already saw where this was going. _No… no, not him…_

Sanji darted through the rocks and trees of Thriller Bark. Maybe there was still time to save him, to prevent him from stupidly sacrificing himself, to keep him safe before it was too late…

But there he was. As bloody as last time, just like everything around them. But he wasn’t standing up like Sanji remembered, with that damn macho pose, pretending that nothing had happened. No, this time…

Sanji plodded as he got closer to Zoro’s corpse, shaking violently.

_ This is too real. Too fucking real. _

He crumbled to the ground, crying his heart out. He ran his fingers through the fresh blood on his cheeks, trembling as he caressed the unmoving body.

He felt as if his own heart was coming up his throat, unable to control his shaky breath as he sobbed on Zoro’s cold hand. He caressed and kissed those fingers, tasting his own tears. He ran his hands through vivid green hair, until he could no longer look at him. 

Sanji brought Zoro’s hand to his forehead, burying himself in his numb touch, closing his eyes. After a few deep breaths, still shivering, he tried to hold back his tears.

Then he felt a tiny bit of something moving on his grasp. 

_ Zoro. _

He startled and stared at the man. His clothes were now clean of all that redness, a scar now showing on his left eye. Zoro furrowed his brows, and little by little he opened his eyes, gazing at Sanji.

Those damn tears found their way back down Sanji’s cheek, but he wouldn’t move. He just felt… _tired._

“Hey, cook, what’s wrong?” Zoro slowly sat up, delicately wiping Sanji’s face. Sanji just stared at him, his lips shaking. “Hey…” Zoro pulled him to a hug.

“Is it really you this time?” Sanji said over Zoro’s shoulder.

“What do you mean this time? I just remember trying to grab your hand but… guess I fainted or something…”

Sanji couldn’t hold back anymore. He wept on Zoro’s chest as he hugged him tighter. “Please… don’t leave me again…” 

Zoro caressed Sanji’s hair, then kissed his wet cheeks. “I’m never leaving you,” he held him even closer. “Ever.” 

Sanji couldn’t even feel relieved. He just felt like tangling himself to Zoro and never getting up again. Even if it wasn’t real, he couldn’t stand anymore pain.

Zoro pressed his lips on Sanji’s forehead and looked in his eyes. “Now… let’s get the hell out of this place.” 

Sanji’s shaking lips formed a smile, and he nodded.

Zoro got up at once, helping Sanji stand. Holding hands, they raced through what now seemed to be an extensive grass field. The wind played with Sanji’s locks as they ran up a hill, not knowing exactly where it would take them. Zoro’s white shirt was now orange with the sunset, which also toned down the brightness of his green hair. 

_ Please. No more pain. Please… _

They reached the top of the hill, and stopped at the sight ahead of them. They were on top of a short bluff above a vast sea, the calm waves hitting the rocks below.

“Not this way, then,” Zoro started running the other way, but stopped when he noticed Sanji was still standing there, gawking at the ocean.

The absolutely clear water was showing all the colorful corals beneath it. Species of fish he had never seen before seemed to be moving in a coordinate dance. The waves were taking their time to be formed, lazily caressing the shore, and the lowered sun reflected on the shifting surface, almost sparkling.

“It’s the All Blue,” Sanji beamed, his eyes tearing up again. He turned to Zoro, who was staring at him with an affectionate smile. “I-It’s the All Blue! I know it is!”

“It’s beautiful. But… be wary, ok? This place–”

_ “LOOK OUT!” _ Sanji screamed when he saw that huge black blade plunging at his encounter, but Zoro was faster. He drew two of his swords in a blink of an eye, and managed to block Dracule Mihawk’s attack.

Sanji hardly got to see the next charge. Something yanked his feet from behind, and he crashed to the floor. He felt himself being dragged through the grass.

“COOK!” Zoro tried to run, but Mihawk was apparently forcing him to stay.

“ZORO!” Sanji writhed, but nothing would stop this invisible force from pulling him away. 

Then he realized where it was taking him to.

He buried his fingers into the earth, desperate to get away from the cliff. But the sea was calling him. 

All blue was calling him. 

His unwilling body was being dragged down the rocks of the bluff, scratching and scraping his skin.

“No…” Zoro was trying to get rid of Mihawk, in vain. Each movement he made in an attempt to run to Sanji was blocked by that enormous blade, aiming to kill.

Sanji slid across the white sand, his arms still reaching for Zoro even at that distance.

“NO!” he eyed Sanji, who was now getting into the water. _“SANJI!”_

The world stopped turning for a moment. Sanji just gazed at Zoro from afar, for what seemed like an eternity. The desperate call for his name, for the first time that he could think of, could only be explained by that desperate expression on his face. 

A face that knew that there was nothing he could do to reach Sanji in time. 

The ocean engulfed Sanji’s unmoving body, and all he could see was Zoro storming over his opponent, his swords as furious as himself. With a final blow, he slashed Mihawk’s bare torso. 

Zoro barely waited until the man’s body touched the ground, and already rushed away. The last thing Sanji could distinguish was his hurried steps down the cliff, before being consumed by one last wave.

It was too late for him.

The ocean kept pulling him farther and farther away from the surface. The water filled Sanji’s lungs, and all went black.

But then, the pain in his chest soothed a little.

He realized he could breathe once again.

Slowly regaining his consciousness, he tried to move, bit by bit. 

He felt his dry clothes warming up his skin, now free of any scratch, but the hardness of the floor felt cold on his back.

Sanji finally opened his eyes, only to be once again staring at an old and moldy ceiling, next to the rusty light fixture that matched the boring and peeling off greenwallpaper that covered that old hotel room.


End file.
